The Battle of Ten (sequel to Fall of Five)
by TomFieldings
Summary: Just when they were all together, they got torn apart. Eight is dead, murdered by Five, who is working for the Mogodorians. Ella has been kidnapped. The Garde have been split up again. Even with the arrival of Adamus, can they succeed against what lies ahead? Chapters planned: Haven't decided yet. I usually don't plan. I make it up as I go. Rated T just in case. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys,  
>This is my sequel story to the Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore. Normally, I wouldn't be writing a fanfiction, but this story has been written in the honour of Eight. It's inspired by one of Posk123's reviews, which suggested that it would be interesting to see how Marina held up if Eight did not come back to life. So, I'm sorry guys, but Eight's not coming back, though you will hear from him occasionally in the story from the Land of the Dead (I think). Anyways, this story is mostly Marina-centric, and she will be taking up about half the story time, though the others will have POVs too. Enjoy, and please review!<strong>

Marina

_Eight._

I release a strangled gulp and will myself to cry. Still nothing.

It's been several hours since the battle in the Everglades, but I've thought of nothing else. Eight, who was so funny and easy-going, optimistic and cheery, friendly and supportive….. Tears well up in my eyes as I remember his wide grin, his dark curls, his bright green eyes, sparkling with humour. I can never see him again. We hadn't even recovered his body.

His body… My mind replays those final moments in the Everglades. We were running blindly, our minds paralyzed with shock and horror. I can barely remember healing Nine, making that ice-raft, Six propelling us with telekinesis, far away from that island, from the Mogs, from Five… and from Eight. I vaguely recall breaking down with guilt at his death, guilt at leaving his body there for the Mogs to desecrate, as Six and Nine gently guided me into a car they hotwired, and sobbing into Six's shoulder as we drove north, not caring where we went, as long as it was as far away as possible from that place… that place where I lost everything.

At least I had been able to cry. Now, it feels as though it's still locked in there. I keep waiting- no, praying for the tears to come flooding out, but there's no release. It's like a dam has been built across my mind, preventing all my emotions from escaping. It's cruel how helpless I am to block out these images, how his death keeps replaying in my mind, torturing me, taunting me at how weak I was, how….. how it was my fault he's dead.

I mentally curse myself again. If only I had been stronger, faster, braver- more like Six. I could have healed him, maybe even taken his place as Nine's human shield. But I stood frozen, utterly powerless to stop the events that were unfolding before my eyes. It's almost laughable how little control I had. I couldn't even help Eight fight that mutant gator. I'd completely failed my friends.

Shame rises up in me in a flash. I was the weak link, and I always had been. I still am, for that matter. This can't go on any longer. I know with bitter certainty that Eight's death was the wake-up call for me. I can no longer be the weak, gentle, caring Marina. I have to be a warrior like Six- powerful, unforgiving….

'Marina!' Six says, snapping me out of my reverie.

'Sorry.' I say, hating how my voice quivers. This has to stop. I can't have another death on my hands. 'What were you saying?'

'It's getting late.' Six says, appraising me with concern. 'Nine's found a decent motel. You want to stop for the night?'

I understand immediately. She wants to stop for me- so that I can have some space, some _time_, to reflect on what happened, and mourn Eight by myself. And as much as I want to scream at her to stop worrying about me, promise her that I will no longer be weak, I know I can't. First, I need to let go of Eight- pay him my last respects by myself. Then I can wave goodbye to my old self.

So I nod gratefully, and step out of the car. I hadn't even realized the car had stopped. A small, dingy motel lies in front of me, with crumbling walls and a tiny lawn, but I don't care. I need to be alone.

I stumble on the driveway, and instantly Six is there, wrapping her arm around my waist, steadying me. She guides me through the reception and up the stairs to a small room on the first floor, with a small bed occupying most of the space. I collapse on it at once.

'We'll be next-door if you need us.' Six says, disappearing out into the corridor and softly shutting the door behind her.

When I'm sure she's gone, I start crying again.

After I've had my cry, I walk over to the window. 'I'm sorry.' I whisper softly, praying that wherever he is, Eight can hear me. 'I know it's my fault you're dead, and that's unforgivable.' I clear my nose noisily and continue. 'But I want you to know that you were the best friend anyone could have asked for. You kept us together with your smiles and your optimism, and your jokes and teasing kept us sane in this crazy mess. You were the kindest, bravest, most supportive person I've ever known, and I'm honoured that you fought alongside me. Thank you, for everything you've done for me. I love you.'

And I smile as my memories with Eight flicker through my mind, filling me with warmth and nostalgia. Our conversation under that lake in India, the way he kissed me after I found his Chest, our kiss in New Mexico, our endless discussions in Nine's penthouse, our tour of Chicago, his laugh, his endearing grin, his ridiculous jokes, his beautiful green eyes…

My smile fades as the happy memories die away, replaced by the recurring memory of his death. Nine, trapped by Five's telekinesis, Five, flying at him, his sword aimed at his heart, _Eight_, teleporting in the path of the blade, sacrificing himself for Nine, the scar burning itself into my ankle, Five's panic….

_Five._

My sorrow and shame disappear, replaced by a cold fury that surges through my veins. I barely notice my Legacy activating, the temperature falling as I instead focus on Five- the traitor, the backstabber, Eight's murderer. He betrayed his own kind to help the Mogodorians, he tried to kill us- the last surviving members of his own race, and Eight gave his life trying to stop him. I grin with savage satisfaction as I remember the icicle _I_ created, plunging into Five's eye, and with a jolt, realize that I have changed. Eight's death changed me more than I realized at first. I search deep inside me, but all traces of gentleness and kindness have vanished. Instead I only find an unquenchable thirst for revenge. I can sense the anger inside me, swirling black tendrils coiling together in my heart like a snake, ready to strike.

I grin viciously. The Mogodorians will pay. They will suffer for all they have done to me, because I am now without mercy. I am Number Seven.

With a buzz, all the lights go out.

I immediately shift into a fighting stance, thinking the Mogs have found us. I find myself hoping that they have. I will make them suffer for everything. I will avenge Eight. I will…..

Why is it so silent?

With a start, I realize that the temperature had dropped well below freezing. Frost coated the walls and the glass of the window was covered with a thin layer of ice. I had used my Legacy without realizing.

With a sigh, I climb back into my bed and pull up the blanket. Tomorrow will be different, I promise myself. Tomorrow, I will be the hunter. I will get my revenge.

The moment my head hits the bed, the dreams begin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I really wasn't expecting positive reviews for my first chapter, so I'm honoured that you guys loved my story, especially since most of you are such good authors yourself. Thanks for keeping me going, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story and continue supporting me.  
>Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me. All rights and reservations belong to Pittacus Lore.<strong>

John

'BK!' I yell frantically, as I move through the wreckage on the roof of the John Hancock Centre, desperately searching for my beloved Chimaera.

'Who's BK?' Adam asks me again, his pale face morphed into a puzzled expression as he helps me sift through the shrapnel from the recent battle, and the thick layer of Mogodorian ash covering the roof.

The roof no longer looks like the calm and peaceful retreat I used to come to when I needed to clear my head. The wreckage of the Mogodorian ships lies scattered across it. Small fires flicker nearby, and an inch-deep layer of Mogodorian ash covers the entire floor. I give up piecing through the wreckage, and stand up, brushing the dust of my clothes.

'He's my Chimaera.' I tell Adam. Waving away his look of fascination, I reach out telepathically with my mind, scanning the surroundings for BK's presence.

'There!' I yell, locating him under a burning piece of circuitry from a Mog ship. I rush to him at once, and seizing the shrapnel off his body, I turn to tend to his injuries.

He lies there in beagle form, and my heart instantly melts as I examine his wounds. He has a deep gash below his eye, and broken bones in his hind legs. His coat is shredded in a million places, and feeling my gentle touch, he weakly opens his eyes and stares at me with a glimmer of hope.

'Hold on, buddy.' I say, my voice catching. 'I'm going to heal you.'

My hands tingle as I get a numbing sensation in my fingers, and BK's cuts begin to close. I sigh with relief as I watch the last of his wounds disappear, and lift him gently into my arms. Turning to Adam, I say, 'We should leave. Sam and the others will be waiting for us at the zoo.'

Adam nods, then cautiously makes his way back to the door leading out of the roof. I follow, and try not to break down as I move through Nine's trashed penthouse, making for the staircase. It would always be a special place for me. It was where all the Garde had come together.

'We should be careful.' Adam says anxiously, stopping suddenly. 'There may be Mogs waiting for us.'

I nod absently, rubbing my ankle where the fourth scar had burned itself into my skin. Even while searching for BK, I just hadn't been able to take my mind off the fact that we had lost another of the Garde. I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing Six or Marina, or hearing one of Eight's jokes again, and I would probably kill to hear another of Nine's annoying comments. In fact, I was holding out hope that it was Five, the traitor, who was dead. I knew that just a glance at the scar would tell me who we had lost, but I wasn't ready to find out yet. I didn't think I could take it without my friends by my side to mourn alongside me.

I'll admit it. I was afraid.

Adam noticed the gesture, and his eyes widened with comprehension and shock. 'No.' he muttered. 'Not another one lost.' He turned to me. 'Who…' his voice trailed off.

'Not here.' I replied, beginning to tear up myself. 'I don't want to find out here, you understand? I'll see it when we meet up with the others at the zoo.'

Adam nodded, still shocked, as we continue to race down, rushing to find our friends.

Six

'I'm worried about Marina.' I announce, as I walk into the room I'm sharing with Nine.

Nine barely looks up. He's been uncharacteristically quiet ever since Marina healed him in the Everglades, and he looks almost as bad as her. He's sitting on the bed looking haggard, with his shoulders slumped, like all the energy has been drained out of him. I know that it's because he's blaming himself for Eight's death.

Eight. How much do I miss him? Granted, I wasn't as close to him as Marina, but it's only now he's gone that I realize just how _dependant_ I was on him, how much I needed him to lighten me up, to keep me from going crazy with his jokes. He and Marina were the glue of our group, and now that he's gone, I feel hollow, like I've just lost a part of myself.

But I can't afford to be weak right now. Marina and Nine are even more shaken up about Eight's death than I am, and I know that they need me to keep moving, to continue this battle for our survival, and our planet's survival. We need to win this more than ever now, for all those we have lost. We need to win this for Eight.

And I need to start with forgiving Nine.

Sure, he was an idiot to have winded Five up, especially since he had no way of defending himself. But beating himself up over Eight's death wasn't going to help. So I drop myself next to him on the bed and place my hand gently on his shoulder. He looks up unwillingly.

'You need to stop punishing yourself.' I say to him softly.

He laughs bitterly. 'Why? It _was_ my fault.'

'Yes, it was.' I agree, making him turn towards me in shock. 'But blaming ourselves for it isn't going to bring him back. Eight wouldn't have wanted us to fall apart the moment he was gone. He would have wanted us to fight on, for our planet, for our fallen family and friends, and for him.' I take a deep breath. 'Besides, you would be much better off earning his forgiveness by helping us win the war instead of moping by yourself. You're not the one who's suffering the most here.'

This came out much harsher than I meant it to, but to my surprise, Nine straightened, his face thoughtful, his eyes suddenly glinting with determination. 'You're right.' he said firmly. 'I need to earn your forgiveness.'

Sighing, I punch him lightly on the shoulder. Truth to be told, I'm a lot more relieved that he's fine than I let on. 'You've already earned mine, silly.' I say, my voice more high-pitched than I would have liked. 'That's what friends are for.'

Nine grins gratefully, and for the first time since the Everglades, I feel a glimmer of hope. Maybe we were not broken yet. Maybe we can somehow get through this, together.

'I hope Marina will be fine.' Nine says thoughtfully. I nod my head absently as my thoughts turn to my best friend. 'I hope so too.' I say, my voice becoming sombre.

Neither of us speaks for a long time.

John

'John!' Sarah screams as she rushes to greet me. 'Oh my god! You were gone so long, I thought… I thought….'

She breaks down, and I pull her into a hug as she sobs into my shoulder. Behind me, Adam warily walks towards us.

'Adam!' Malcolm says, sighing with relief. 'You're alright.'

Over Sarah's shoulder, Sam grins at me. Although he's obviously delighted I'm fine, I can tell something's amiss. Gently, I disengage myself from Sarah's embrace and walk up to my best friend. 'What's the matter, man?' I ask.

He looks away, his expression now one of sorrow. 'While we were waiting here with your Chests, I decided to switch on the tablet, uh, to check on the Garde, and….' His voice cracks. 'I could find only six dots.'

Malcolm and Sarah turn to look at me in shock as Sam continues. 'When you woke up, you were clutching your ankle. You got another scar, didn't you? We just lost a Garde.'

I look up at him, and my expression is all the confirmation he needs. 'Who is it?' he pleads. 'Is it Six?'

I pull up my pant leg slowly, realizing that I can't delay it any longer. I need to find out who we lost, so we can fight for them and avenge their death. I can't hide from that any longer. I unwillingly look down at my ankle.

Burned into my flesh is the Loric symbol for Eight.

I double over in shock. I feel as though I've just been punched. Eight, who was always cheery, always joking, always so friendly and supportive. Eight, who always kept our spirits high, who could always make us laugh. Eight is dead.

'Eight.' I choke out, and instantly the mood darkens. Adam, who had never known Eight, looks sombre. Even Sam, who should have been delighted that Six was fine, looks disheartened and depressed. Nobody could help liking Eight. He was too light-hearted and easy-going for anyone to stay mad at him for long.

'We need to keep going.' Malcolm finally says, his voice trembling with grief. 'We need to find the others.' He turns to Sam. 'Where did you see them last?'

Sam examines the tablet again. 'It's weird.' he says. 'They seem to have been separated. There's one dot moving east from here, which is probably Ella, one dot in Washington D.C. and three in Florida.' He looks at me anxiously. 'None of them could have been captured, right?'

'No.' I say, downcast. 'It's worse.' I tell them about my dream, and how I'm sure Five's a traitor, and Setrakus has kidnapped Ella because he wants her to be the heir to his throne.

The others listen to me in horror. Sarah reaches for my hand, and I grab it, squeezing it for comfort.

'We need to find the others _now._' I conclude. Turning to Sam, I ask, 'Where in Florida are they?'

He consults the tablet. 'Um, they're pretty much in the northern part of Florida, near the highway. At this rate, they'll reach West Virginia in a couple of days.' He winces at the name. It's understandable, since the last time he was in West Virginia, he had been captured and tortured by the Mogs.

I glance at him reassuringly, then continue. 'In that case, we can fly to the east coast and drive south until we meet up with them.'

'It'll be quicker to fly there directly.' Sam protests.

'That's exactly what the Mogs will be expecting.' I point out. 'Come on, we need to hurry.'

Without a word, we all pile into the minivan Malcolm has rented. My thoughts turn to the others, escaping from Florida and leaving a dead compatriot behind. I just hope that they can last until we find them.

'Of course they can.' Sarah says softly, reading my thoughts. 'They're the Garde. The same can't be said for me.'

I grin and wrap my arms around her. 'Don't worry,' I whisper back. 'I'm not letting you go anywhere.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I'm sorry that I'm late with this chapter, but I'm down with fever and headaches, so I can barely think. As it is, this is not exactly my best effort, and I must apologize.  
>Thanks to all my reviewers for supporting, motivating and criticizing me. You were a great help, and I hope you will continue to read this story.<br>I'd like to dedicate this chapter to scone104 and thesecondgarde, partly to thank them for supporting me and welcoming me so enthusiastically, but also because an amazing plot twist occurred to me after reading the latest chapters of their stories 'Every Hello Ends With A Goodbye' and 'The Second Chance' respectively. You should read them- they're great.  
>On to this chapter. Hope you forgive me, and I promise the next chapter will be much better.<strong>

Marina

The moment my eyes shut, I'm pulled into a vision.

I find myself floating serenely in a garden. The lilting melody of birdsong fills my ears. I am surrounded by flowers in full bloom, almost overwhelming me with their scent. Even though I don't remember having been here before, there's only one place I could be.

I'm on Lorien.

It's still pristine and beautiful- the attack obviously hasn't happened yet. The two moons shine dully in the darkness, and everybody seems to be in a festive mood. I recognize the scene. It is the Loric festival of Quarter Moon.

I wander up to the lush green fields, inhaling the fresh air and taking in the surreal beauty of my surroundings. The sight is breathtaking. I hover there for a while, drinking it all in. Out of the corner of my eye, I can make out a small cluster of houses near a gushing stream.

A movement catches my eye. A small girl runs out of the house, clutching a doll and giggling uncontrollably. A young woman chases her out, and on seeing her, the girl squeals but allows herself to be gathered into her arms. I suck in my breath and stare. I recognize them both. How couldn't I?

The woman is unmistakably Adelina. Which means... Which means that the young girl is….

The sound of an explosion snaps me out of my reverie. I duck in fright, but it's only a vision, and the shrapnel passes right through me. The smoke clears temporarily, and immediately it's obvious what the target was. The buildings have all been completely annihilated, and the fires feed greedily on the wreckage. A Mogodorian ship appears overhead.

Adelina staggers to her feet, dazed, and unsteadily walks to where the child lies unmoving in the grass. Gathering her in her arms, she flees.

The scene changes.

I'm back in the Everglades. I see Five flying towards Nine, his sword aimed at Nine's heart, his eyes burning with fury. I see Nine, locked in place by Five's telekinesis, struggling to break free. I see myself, staring at the events unfolding in shock, useless and pathetic.

I grimace and clench my jaw. I know what's coming next.

Eight suddenly appears in Five's path, having used his last vestiges of energy for teleporting. I try to look away, but my eyes are glued to the scene. It's cruel how helpless I am, just like I was back when Eight got killed.

Five's eyes widen, and he tries to backtrack, but he's going too fast. Nine screams, and the sword plunges into Eight's heart. I feel the familiar pain of the scar, both in my ankle and in my heart.

The scene changes.

I'm still in the Everglades, but there's no sign of anyone. Small fragments of ice lie everywhere, melting into the grass. The blood-stained icicle I used to trap Five and render his eye useless is still there, but there's no sign of Five or Eight's body. They're long gone.

'Marina…..' a voice whispers, one that I'd know anywhere in the world.

I turn around, and I see him standing there, close to the edge of the marsh, the wound visible even from a distance. I want to run to him, but even from here, I can see the disappointment in his eyes.

'I expected better from you, Marina.' he says. 'You let me down.'

'Eight! Listen…' I run to him, but he turns around and floats over the marsh. I try to follow, but find myself sinking.

'I expected better….' he whispers, floating just out of reach. 'I expected….'

With a scream, I jolt awake, breathing heavily, tears streaming from my eyes. Only then do I realize that I'm not alone.

I take in the sight of Six staring at me with apprehension and concern, but I look away bitterly. Just _last_ night, I had promised myself that I would no longer be weak, that I would be emotionless and powerful. But my nightmares have drained all the hatred and anger out of me, leaving only mind-numbing misery and pain. My desire for revenge has completely fizzled out.

I realize now that I was a fool, a fool to think that I could let go of my old self, let go of _Eight_ in just one night. He means more to me than just a motive for murder. I may have failed him, but for his sake, I cannot fail Six or Nine. And if I am losing the battle against my emotions, I must pretend I have won.

'Just a nightmare.' I tell them, trying to sound dismissive. Unfortunately, it comes across as trembling and fearful. 'No need to worry.'

Six nods slowly. 'Nine and I are going down for some breakfast. You want to come?'

'Not right now.' I say shakily. 'I'll join you in some time.'

Six nods again. 'Alright.' she says, backing out of the room. 'I'll meet you downstairs in half an hour.' She disappears into the corridor.

I slowly crawl out of my bed. The nightmare is still fresh in my mind, and I shudder as I try to push it aside. The memory of Eight looking at me with disappointment and accusation is almost too much for me to bear. I huddle with my knees drawn close to my body, and begin to sob.

Nine

'How much are you going to eat?'

I shrug, and shake off Six's look of disgust. 'Sorry.' I say. 'Although, honestly speaking, I normally take much more than three helpings.'

She shakes her head and stalks off.

I shrug again, and make my way to the window, where the buffet lies lined up on a table. Truth to be told, there's not much to choose from. This isn't exactly my penthouse. But like I said to Six, I don't exactly have much of an appetite any more. Not since Eight died.

I know I promised Six that I'd stop beating myself up over it, but every moment, a fresh wave of guilt threatens to drown me in pain and misery. I try not to show it, but I feel like breaking down every second. Being with Marina is even worse- looking at her condition and knowing I caused it is agony. That's why I let Six check on her this morning instead of me.

I absently lower my head, trying to peer out of the window as I load my plate with bacon. I'm about to walk back to my table when a flash of light catches my eye. I crouch and glance outside, looking for any signs of trouble. Instantly, my breath catches in my throat, and my heart nearly stops.

An entire fleet of jeeps are parked right outside the driveway of our hotel, and on the edge of the highway. Even worse, multiple choppers with whisper-silent blades hover just metres from the ground. Each vehicle I see is chock-full of Mogodorian soldiers.

'Marina!' I yell, trying to warn her of the impending danger. Hopefully, she would be able to hear me. There was no way I was letting her die too on my watch too. 'Mogs! Get out of….'

Just then, a hand clamps around my mouth.

Marina

'Marina!' I hear Nine yell. 'Mogs! Get out of…..' his voice abruptly stops, leaving me shocked and terrified. I pull myself together. Now is not the time for grief. I need to escape from here and rescue my friends. I can only hope that Nine will be fine until then.

I ready myself, the tingling feeling forming in my fingers again, the icy sensation returning to my hand. I feel a sudden surge of grief- the last time I used this legacy intentionally was back at the Everglades, when Eight was killed. I shake my head to dispel the memories and walk cautiously to the door, my hand gently crackling with frost. I'm reach out for the handle…..

Six charges through the door, almost knocking me to the ground. I involuntarily launch a blast of ice and frost at her, but fortunately, she ducks in time.

'Mogs!' she yells. 'We need to go _now_.'

'Where?' I asked, panicked, my hand curling to from a fist. Ice encases it, forming a deadly and effective glove.

Six grabs me by the throat and lifts me effortlessly off the ground. The ice encasing my hand melts instantly. My mind goes fuzzy, and I struggle, half-choked to death. Before my eyes, she begins to morph into a familiar figure.

'Here.' Setrakus Ra growls.

Nine

'It's me, you idiot!' a voice hisses in my ear. 'Stop struggling!'

'Six?' I ask, surprised. I glance downwards, and with a start, realize that I am invisible.

'Where's Marina?' I ask, my voice fading to a whisper. My heart sinks at her reply.

'Setrakus Ra has her.' She says grimly. 'No, Nine, we can't fight him right now- don't you remember what happened last time? And this time, Marina won't be able to heal us if something goes wrong.'

'What do you want to do- let her die?' I demand.

'No, you dolt.' she says, exasperated. 'We follow them and wait for a chance to break her out.'

'Oh.' I say. That's actually quite a good plan, and one which I had not expected her to have.

'Come on.' she whispers. The soldiers seem to be busy scanning the place for us. Well, unless they bump right into us, they won't find us. This is one of the rare times that I feel jealous of Six for such a cool Legacy.

We silently crawl into the back of a jeep and huddle underneath a tarpaulin, hoping nobody would try to stash their luggage there. Then, in the looming darkness and the suffocating heat, we wait.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry, it took so long, but I'm finally better now, and ready with the next chapter. Please, please, please keep reading and reviewing the story. I love reading your reviews, and I'm hoping to have at least 25 before I continue the story.  
>Here's chapter 4. Enjoy!<strong>

Marina

I close my eyes and strain against my bonds again. I groan inwardly. Still nothing.

After I was caught, Setrakus summoned two of his soldiers and ordered them to secure my hands and feet with "special" manacles. As I soon discovered, their "specialty" is being unbreakable _and_ immune to my Legacies.

In fact, they seem to be blocking them altogether. Every time I try using one of my Legacies, I feel bile rise up in my throat and a sharp pain pierce through my head. Now I'm being dragged by Setrakus to one of his jeeps, where he's personally going to be guarding me. He seems to be afraid that I will somehow break out.

Or, more likely, he's just afraid that Six or Nine will rescue me.

A Mogodorian soldier appears in front of us. 'There's no sign of them, my Lord.' he says, sneering at me. I resist the urge to launch myself at him. 'Not even the tell-tale trail of ash the boy is so fond of leaving behind.'

'No matter.' Setrakus says, lugging me to the largest jeep. He deposits me in the back roughly and I immediately curl into a ball. I'm hurting all over from being dragged across the hard ground, and my throat still aches from when he strangled me, but I'll be damned if I'm going to show it. I look up at him defiantly and struggle against the chains again. He grins back, showing me his disgusting teeth. 'They know we have her. They will come.'

'You are not using me as bait!' I yell, thrashing about now in my effort to break free. I'm not going to give him the pleasure of taking me without a fight. 'You killed Eight! I'm going to make you pay! I'm….'

'She's a feisty one, isn't she?' Setrakus says smugly. 'Maybe she should take a nap.'

I realize what he means too late. The last thing I see is his fist hurtling towards me before everything goes black.

Adam

'John!' Sam cries. 'Look!'

He holds up the tablet and waves it about urgently, forgetting that we're in the middle of our security check. Heads turn curiously as they stare at Sam bobbing up and down restlessly, waiting for us to finish.

'What is it?' John hisses, after collecting his bag from the official. 'You practically drew attention from the whole line. We need to be _unnoticed_.'

'They're moving.' Sam says, ignoring John's fixated glare, examining the three flashing dots in Florida once again. 'And this is weird…..'

I look over his shoulder curiously. He jabs his finger at the screen, indicating the dot which is slightly ahead of the others. 'They seem to be in separate cars. Here, see?'

We stare at the tablet. Sam's right. The lead dot is about half a mile ahead of the other two.

'What does that mean?' John asks, his anger forgotten. 'Why would they be in different cars?'

My blood runs cold. 'They would if they were captured.' I say hollowly, horribly certain that I'm right.

John examines the tablet again. 'I think you're right.' he says slowly, his voice filled with dread. 'Look. They're not the only ones who are moving.'

We follow his line of sight. The flashing dot that is Five is no longer in Washington D.C.

Instead, it's making its way south.

'We have to get there!' I say urgently. '_Now_.'

John nods. 'Yeah. If only this flight wasn't delayed….'

'It seems to me you have bigger problems.' a harsh voice says from behind.

I whirl around. Standing there, with a look of cruel amusement on his face, is my father.

Marina

I'm floating in a large black void.

'_Where am I?_' I wonder, trying to examine my surroundings. For some reason, I am completely certain that this is not a dream or a vision. I, or at least my spirit, is actually here.

I try to move, and find that I am able to walk normally. I warily take a few steps forward. It feels strange walking without anything solid below my feet, but somehow I know exactly when to shift my weight.

That is, of course, if I am even walking at all. There is no way of knowing if I even moved, since there is no way of judging my progress.

I step forward again, now more uneasy than cautious. This place is very creepy. There is something about it that makes me feel….. lost.

'Marina?' a voice says with disbelief.

I spin around. I know that voice. How could I forget it? I hear it all the time, in my every thought, torturing me with what could have been.

Hovering there, with an expression of stunned disbelief on his face, is Eight.

Eight

I shake my head, unable to believe what I am seeing. Marina hovers just a few metres away from me, and she looks just as shocked.

I recover first. Teleporting to her, I wrap my arms around her, and pull her into a hug.

Marina

Eight embraces me, and I don't resist, melting into his arms. A million emotions are running through me right now, so I do the obvious thing. I burst into tears.

I don't know how long he holds me, how long I sob, taking in his comforting arms, his familiar smell, and everything else about him, but eventually, I pull away, wiping the tears off my face. 'I'm sorry.' I tell him, my voice thick. 'It's all my fault.'

Eight cracks a grin. 'Nice to see you too.' he chuckles.

Only Eight could crack a joke even after he was dead. I punch him on the shoulder, but the damage is done. I grin, and before I know it, we're both laughing uncontrollably.

Finally, we pull ourselves together, and he grabs hold of my shoulders and forces me to look at him. 'Listen to me.' he says, suddenly serious. 'What happened at the Everglades was _not_ your fault. I made a choice, and I knew the consequences, alright? Nothing to do with you.'

'It has everything to do with me.' I say quietly. All traces of humour have suddenly disappeared from our conversation. 'If I had been stronger, there would have been no need for you to make that decision.'

Eight sighs. 'Firstly,' he says, 'you are the strongest person I know.' He grins at my shocked expression. 'Oh, so you mean to say that you know someone else who is so determined even though their Cepan neglected them their entire childhood? Do you know someone else who takes responsibility for everything that goes wrong, whether it's their fault or not?' He draws a breath. 'Do you know someone else who has suffered so much and is yet so gentle, so pure?' he finishes, his voice suddenly soft.

'My gentleness is what got you killed.' I counter.

Eight sighs again. 'Your gentleness is what is keeping us going.' he says.

'What do you mean?' I ask, stunned.

'Think about it.' he says. 'We claim that we fight the Mogodorians because they are evil, and yet we're exactly the same. We willingly kill them even if they don't attack us, we're cruel and vicious, and, in our hearts, we want to make them suffer.'

'_I_ don't.' I say hesitantly.

'Exactly.' he says. 'You are what separates us from them, Marina. Without you, we're as bad as them.'

I look up at him, suddenly hopeful. He doesn't hate me. He doesn't even blame me for his death. 'You really mean that?' I ask.

Eight grins. Then, without any warning, he leans down and kisses me.

Eight

Energy courses through me, and I suddenly feel rejuvenated. All I care about right now is Marina, her gentle arms encircling my waist, her hair brushing my cheek, the feel of her lips pressed to mine. I'm suddenly filled with warmth and hope, like anything is possible. I've never felt so alive (yeah, I get the irony too).

I slowly pull away, and she gasps for breath and gapes at me, open-mouthed. Her expression is so priceless, I just have to laugh.

Marina

We sit together silently for a while, gazing out into the nothingness, our shoulders brushing, our fingers intertwined. I replay the kiss in my mind for the umpteenth time, warmed by the pleasant memory. It is, quite probably, the weirdest date of all time.

Finally, I break the silence. I don't particularly want to broach the subject, but I have to know.

'Is this what death is like?' I ask. 'You know, floating about alone in the middle of nowhere for all eternity?'

Eight shakes his head. To my utmost relief, he doesn't look offended. 'I don't know.' he says. 'For some reason, I can't remember what it was like before you came along. It's like my memory has been wiped before I was allowed to meet you. I'm pretty sure I wasn't _here_, though.'

I nod. 'That makes sense, though.' I say. '_The living shall not acquire the secrets of death_, and all that rubbish.'

Eight laughs again. I suddenly grin. He's rubbing off on me more than I thought if I'm the one who's making him laugh.

'You'll have to go soon, won't you?' Eight says sadly. I nod. I haven't told him, but I've been getting a tugging sensation in my gut for a while now, and I know I can't stay here much longer.

'I won't see you again for some time now, will I?' I ask.

Eight shakes his head again. 'No. I don't think so. But….' he hesitates. 'I _will_ see you again before this war is over. My Precognition Legacy is telling me that much.'

He hesitates again. I look into his green eyes, and I can see there's something that he's trying to hide. Not anxiety, or even worry.

_Fear_.

'Eight.' I say. 'What aren't you telling me?'

'There's something else my Precognition Legacy is telling me.' he says, not quite meeting my eyes.

'What?' I ask, suddenly afraid.

'Next time,' he says, finally looking me in the eye. 'Next time, you won't have to leave.'

My eyes widen as the implications of his words hits me. There's only one way I won't have to leave Eight the next time we meet. I stare at him, and I can make out he's come to the same conclusion.

I am going to die.

Eight pulls me into a hug, and I don't resist, seeking the comfort of his arms. I am suddenly shocked and afraid, and only he can make me feel any better.

The tugging sensation becomes too much for me, and Eight cries out with surprise as I fade away, pulled back into the world of the living. 'Goodbye, Eight.' I whisper. He hears me, and his head whips around as he searches frantically for me.

'Marina, listen! I need to tell you this. When you wake up, you can't blame him! You can't blame him!' He's necessary for us to win the war, do you understand?'

I try to reply, but I'm being dragged back, and it's all I can do to hang on for a few precious seconds. Eight finally looks my way, and our eyes meet as he says, 'Goodbye, Marina.'

Then he's gone, and everything is black.

I wake up with a jolt, to find someone leaning over me. I'm still puzzling over Eight's words, and it's only when the figure draws back that I see him clearly and understand.

'Hello, Marina.' Five says.

**Firstly, I know I said that I won't bring Eight back to life at least until the war is over, and I've stuck to my promise. But I just had to have him meet Marina. I felt she needed some closure.  
>Should Marina die or not? I've actually already made my decision, but it's fun to keep you guessing.<br>I know I took a long time for this chapter, and I'm sorry about it. I promise I will post the next chapter tomorrow or on Sunday, unless I fall ill again, to make up for the time I took for this one.  
>I also solemnly swear that I am up to no good and the next chapter will have a huge twist. So please review!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I'm back with an update. Thank you so much to all those who read and reviewed. I just reached my review target, and everyone who made it happen is awesome! Thanks!  
>Coming to another important matter, the twist I promised in the last chapter is not here. I was going to squeeze it in, but I had a feeling this chapter was becoming a little too large, so I split it up and turned it into two chapters.<br>This is chapter 5, updating what's going on with John and Six. The next chapter will be Marina, and someone….. unexpected. Read, review and enjoy!**

John

We are in _so_ much trouble.

We stand there dumbly, staring at the Mogodorian addressing us. Mogs are suddenly everywhere, pouring out of their hiding places and discarding their disguises, until we are completely flanked. Every soldier I see is armed, and all of them have their guns trained on us. I can see no way to escape.

And despite _all_ this, I remain rooted to the spot, unable to shake off my surprise.

Finally, Malcolm stirs. 'General Andrakkus Sutekh.' he murmurs in awe.

The General laughs with delight. 'I'm glad you recognize me.' he says gleefully. 'Your deaths will be all the more enjoyable!' He glances at Adam. 'That is, of course, once I've had a good, long, father-son talk with Adamus.'

Adam pales. I stare at him in shock. Once it's been pointed out, it's obvious. They have the same face- all sharp angles.

I finally pull myself together and step forward. 'If you want to get to them, you're going to have to go through me.' I say boldly.

The General roars with laughter. 'Number Four.' he mocks. 'How exactly do you plan to defeat me? You claim to be the leader of the Loric scum, and yet you are foolish enough to believe we will leave the airport of the city we _know_ you are in unguarded.'

I resist the urge to slap myself. Of course the Mogs would be guarding the airport. They _knew_ we were here.

And we walked right into their trap.

I curse softly and continue to look the General in the eye. I need to keep him talking while the others create a distraction. But how do I communicate with them without the General finding out?

'_BK!_' I think, reaching out with my telepathy. '_I need your help. Turn into something small and get Adam's attention. We need a distraction_.'

'You may have outsmarted us now, but I'd like to see you beat me in a battle.' I say mockingly. 'Afraid? You should be.'

The General throws his head back and laughs again. 'Do you really think you can defeat _me_ in battle? I am General Andrakkus Sutekh, the commander of the Mogodorians, the right-hand man of the Beloved Leader himself. Puny, arrogant fools like you don't stand a chance.'

'We'll see about that.' I say, praying that BK and Adam are ready. I highly doubt that the General is fooled by my posturing, but hopefully the soldiers are distracted. '_Three….._' I think, using my animal telepathy to signal BK. '_Two…._' If he isn't ready, we're all dead. '_One…. Now!_'

There's a huge roar to my left, and the soldiers scatter in shock. BK has turned into an enormous beast, complete with sharp claws, teeth and even two horns curling out of his head. He swipes sideways with his paws, and several Mogs disintegrate into ash.

'What….' the General starts, but he's cut short by a shockwave that ripples through the ground to my right. Mogodorian soldiers tumble to the ground, unable to maintain their balance. I look at Adam and know that he's responsible.

Sam, Sarah and Malcolm had all dived for cover behind the security check counter the moment BK shape-shifted into the beast. I can see them rummaging through my open chest for the guns we had stashed there to lay out cover fire.

In other words, we're at an advantage. The Mogs are disorientated and off balance. It won't take much to finish them off. And the General…..

'John! Watch out!' Sarah screams. I spin around too late, just in time to see the General's blade come crashing down on me.

Luckily, I'm still wearing my bracelet. The shield emerges, faster than thought, enveloping me and deflecting the blade. Even so, the force of the blow is enough to send me sprawling to the ground.

The General curses. He lifts me by the scruff of my neck and grabs hold of the bracelet.

I recoil, waiting for him to withdraw his hand, but he doesn't loosen his grip. Instead, he grits his teeth and yanks the bracelet off my wrist, dropping it almost immediately on the ground.

My eyes widen in horror. Even Nine had been unable to withstand the shock the bracelet had given him. Yet, the General had barely winced as he yanked it off me.

I have a sudden surge of grudging respect for him.

However, respect isn't going to stop me from getting killed. The General shoves me, and I crumple to the ground, dazed. I can see him stalking towards me, slowly, steadily, savouring the moment.

'John!' Sam yells, and something comes skittering down the floor beside me. I grab hold of it. It's my dagger from my Chest.

The General sneers down at me as he takes in the blade, noting the hilt that is wrapping itself around my hand. 'What good will that do you,' he says, 'when you're lying dead on the floor!'

He stabs downwards at me, but this time I'm expecting it. I roll sideways to dodge the blade and scramble to my feet, catching my breath.

I glance down at my dagger and swear under my breath. It's tiny compared to the General's sword, and won't be much use parrying his strikes. As if sensing my thoughts, the dagger begins to lengthen, until it's a metre-long sword.

I stare at it in wonder, and almost don't notice the General attacking me again. I barely raise my sword in time to parry his next blow.

The next few minutes are almost dizzying. The General is unbelievably fast, and I'm hard pressed to defend myself. I try to activate my Lumen and set myself on fire, or use telekinesis to wrench away his blade, but I can't concentrate long enough to use my Legacies. As it is, I can barely avoid his relentless flurry of slashes and jabs.

I curse myself mentally. If only I had practised my Legacies more often, like Nine and Six had, they would have come naturally to me. But I had been too arrogant to concede that I wouldn't be able to concentrate in the middle of a battle. Hell, I had been so overconfident, I didn't even think a Mog could ever beat me in battle. Yet, here I was, getting a thrashing at the hands of the General.

The thought distracts me. The General feints a jab at my flank, and I don't notice him kicking out until his heel catches me in the ribs with tremendous force. I distinctly hear several of them snap as I fly backwards and slam into the counter.

I try to stagger to my feet, but collapse on the floor once again, my head spinning from the impact. My hand lands on something hard and familiar.

With a cry, I grab my bracelet and hurriedly force my fingers through it. To my utter relief, the shield emerges just in time to deflect the General's fatal blow.

I scramble to my feet once again and retreat warily, pressing my palm to my chest to heal myself. The General advances, trying to relieve me of my bracelet again, but this time I'm ready. I slash out with my sword, and he withdraws his hand hurriedly.

For the first time in a few minutes, I glance around and assess the battle. BK has destroyed nearly all the Mogs by now, and Sarah, Sam, Malcolm and Adam have all taken cover and are firing incessantly, disrupting the Mogs' every attempt to rally. As I watch, the last of the Mogs cries out with pain and disintegrates into ash.

I turn to face the General again. He has evidently realized that the battle is lost, and is steadily retreating, his face a mask of hate.

'You were saved by your little toy this time, Number Four.' he calls out. 'Next time, you won't be so lucky.'

I activate my Lumen, and my palms catch fire. I raise my hands to launch a fireball at him, but he's too far. I watch as he disappears around a corner.

'He'll be back with backup.' Adam says, shivering. 'We need to get out of here.'

'Airport security will be here soon too.' Sam says. For the first time, I notice the alarms blaring and the voice of the announcer frantically directing the police towards us.

'Follow me.' Malcolm says, leading us out of a small service door down the stairs, and on to the runway. 'I remember having seen something here the last time I was here.'

'Something helpful?' I ask hopefully, as we follow Malcolm around a large hangar, where several planes are stowed. Malcolm ignores them and makes for a small helicopter near the wall.

'You can fly one?' I ask incredulously.

Malcolm smiles and yanks the door open. 'I did extensive research on the controls of your spaceship.' he says. 'How different could this be?'

I frown as I follow Malcolm through the door of the craft and help the others to clamber in. 'Are you seriously comparing a spaceship that we travelled in for nearly a year to a helicopter?' I ask.

'Trust me.' Malcolm says, as he sits in the pilot's seat and fiddles with the controls. They look amazingly complex, and I can't make out a thing.

'Don't you need an ignition key?' I ask.

'Most helicopters don't have ignition keys.' he explains, as he presses a button and the rotors start to whirr. He grabs the joystick and grins as the helicopter begins to rise in the air, steadily gaining height until we are well above the airport.

'Next stop, West Virginia.' he says.

Six

'Why couldn't they have taken her somewhere else?' Nine whines.

We're currently making our way invisibly through the Mog base in West Virginia. Between Nine and me, we know the place pretty well, but the base is huge, and we have absolutely no clue where Marina may be held. So, as you may have guessed, we aren't exactly in the best of moods.

On top of that, Nine has been complaining ever since he got here. I guess he doesn't exactly like using stealth.

'Trust me, this isn't exactly among my top ten places to be on Earth either.' I say. My voice trembles a bit as I add, 'Katarina….. Katarina was killed here.'

Nine shuts up instantly. He knows what it's like to have your Cepan killed right in front of your eyes.

We turn another corridor and emerge in a tunnel with a series of prison cells, all guarded by the same blue force-field.

'This is where I was held, for over a year.' Nine says. 'How are we going to break her out, _if_ she's here, with these force fields in place?'

I warily glance around for guards, but it's instantly obvious that there aren't any. I frown, confused as to why there wouldn't be any Mogs guarding the prisoners. Maybe this row of prison cells is empty.

Even so, I have a bad feeling about this.

'We'll figure that out once we find her.' I say, yanking Nine forward. 'Come on.'

The moment we step into the corridor, alarms begin to blare.

**Sorry about the cliffhangers. I have a tendency of becoming way too dramatic at times. Next update will be on Sunday or maybe Monday, because the next chapter's important, and I want to be careful with it. Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 6, and the promised twist. A huge thank you to all my reviewers, especially to those who have been reading and reviewing from the very start.  
>This chapter is dedicated to EpicLoric24 for reviewing and supporting me since I started this story. Without her, it's likely I'd have lost the motivation to write this much.<br>Thanks to all my other readers and reviewers too. Keep reading, enjoy, and review!**

Marina

_Five_. We need Five to win the war. Somehow, I doubt he'll be jumping at the opportunity to join us.

The worst part is, it all makes sense. Eight is dead. Ella is still so young, and has hardly developed any Legacies. Sam, Malcolm and Sarah are just humans. That leaves us with four Garde and a Chimaera to fight an evil overlord, a renegade Loric, and a gigantic army that is out for our blood. I don't see how we can win without Five's help.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I'm going to die before the war is over. Another positive.

'Marina.' Five says, snapping me out of my trance.

He looks terrible. He's standing unsteadily, leaning heavily on his left leg. His right foot is heavily bandaged, and an eyepatch snakes across his forehead, covering his right eye. His face is pasted with guilt and regret, and he looks at me desperately, like he's spent several sleepless nights punishing himself for what he's done. Despite everything, I feel sorry for him.

'I'm really sorry about what happened back in the Everglades.' he begins, stumbling over his words in his rush to get them out. 'It was a horrible accident, and I didn't mean it to happen. I…..'

'You were trying to kill Nine.' I interrupt. 'And somehow that's supposed to make everything better.'

He winces and changes tact. 'No, what I meant was…..'

'Save it, Five.' I say, pursing my lips. I look at his desperate, pleading face, and feel sorry for him again. 'I spoke to Eight.' I confess. 'He came to me in a vision.'

Five abruptly stops apologizing and stares at me. 'Did he….'

'He forgives you.' I say resignedly. 'I'm not sure why I'm telling you this, because you don't deserve to know, but he forgives you.'

Five collapses on the interrogator's chair opposite me and looks at me. 'I wanted him to be my friend.' he says bitterly. 'I wanted him there, fighting by my side.'

'You wanted Eight to fight for the Mogs?' I ask incredulously. 'Are you mad?'

Five looks at me with something resembling pity. 'You don't understand.' he says. 'You never understood. Your Cepans never told you the truth. If you knew, you'd be there, fighting by my side.'

'I wouldn't.' I spit out. 'I don't care what you know- the Mogs are vile and evil. They destroyed our planet, they killed our families and hunted us down like animals. They murdered the people we love, and anyone else who got in their way. Nothing could ever convince me to work with them.'

Five snorts. 'The weak don't deserve to survive. As for Lorien, once the war is over, they're going to restore it. _We're_ going to restore it.'

'In that case, why don't you kill me?' I snap. 'Go on. I'm at your mercy, _weak_, as you put it. Do it.'

Five looks surprised. 'No, I…. I can't do that. You're different.'

'How?' I demand. 'How am I any different from all those the Mogs hunted down? How am I any different from all those that Setrakus Ra murdered? How? The Mogodorians- _they_ would kill me without a second thought. Just like they killed all those back at Lorien. Exactly like you were willing to kill Nine.'

Five looks sympathetically at me. 'Like I said, there's so much you don't know.'

'Oh, really?' I growl. 'Like what?'

'For one,' Five says, 'it wasn't a Mogodorian who ordered the attack on Lorien.'

Nine

'Oh, hell.' Six mutters.

We're standing in the corridor with the prison cells, invisible, alarms blaring around us. With my advanced hearing, I can make out the stampede of feet in the distance, and of voices shouting orders. The Mogs will be here soon.

'We've got about two minutes before they get here.' I tell Six.

'We need to get out of here.' she says reluctantly. 'If they find out we're here, they'll use Marina against us.'

'What if she's in one of these?' I argue, gesturing towards the prison cells. 'We could rescue her right now and fight our way out.'

Six pauses for a moment before replying. 'She's not here.' she says. 'These alarms are loud enough to wake the dead. She would have yelled for help the moment she heard them.'

'What if she's knocked out?' I counter. 'We have to check!'

The stamping sound is now almost as loud as the alarms. I know that the Mogs are now just moments away. I groan. 'Great.' I say sarcastically. 'Hold on.'

Six yelps with surprise as I activate my anti-gravity Legacy, falling towards the ceiling above. We land on our feet, hanging upside down. I scan the corridor from my perch just as the Mogs appear around the corner.

'The lead Mog narrows his eyes and stares suspiciously at the seemingly empty corridor. After a long moment, he turns back to face his troops. 'Open fire.' he orders. 'I want to see if they're standing invisible.' He looks warily upwards and says, 'Cover the ceiling as well.'

'Oh, great.' I mutter, knowing that the moment we use our telekinesis to block the bullets, they'll know exactly where we are. 'You ready?'

'I was born ready.' Six replies, as I deactivate my anti-gravity Legacy. We land on the ground and turn to face the Mogs, turning visible.

'There they are!' the lead Mog yells, spotting us instantly. 'Fire!'

Six and I look at each other, then use our telekinesis to wrench away their guns before they can shoot. The entire first row of Mogs is suddenly weaponless.

'There they are!' I yell mockingly, imitating the lead Mog. 'Fire!'

With that, the first few Mogs turn to ash, and the battle begins.

Marina

I stare at him in shock. 'What do you mean?' I ask, suddenly afraid of what he's about to tell me. I have the sinking feeling that I know what he's talking about.

Five looks at me, and once again his expression is one of pity. 'I don't need to tell you.' he says. 'You've already figured it out.'

I look at him, and my dread and terror is absolute. My mouth goes as dry as sandpaper, and my throat clamps with fear. Yes, I do know what he's talking about. Suddenly, everything makes sense. The battle with Setrakus Ra in Dulce, Ella's nightmares- every piece of the puzzle is suddenly in place, and I can see the whole picture.

'Setrakus Ra is Loric.' I whisper.

'Setrakus Ra…..' Five muses. 'That _is_ what he calls himself now, yes.'

'Regeneration, shape-shifting, blocking our Legacies- those were all Legacies of his, weren't they?' I ask, horrified. This is far worse than any of us had ever imagined.

'Those _are_ Legacies of his.' Five corrects. 'But yes, you're right once again.'

'Mogadore is dying.' I say, fitting piece after piece of the jigsaw into place. 'He convinced the Mogs that he was their saviour and led them into battle against the Loric. They win him the war, and he lets them stay on Lorien.'

Five doesn't reply, but his expression is confirmation enough for me. I exhale, trying to come to terms with what I've just figured out.

'There's just one thing that doesn't make sense, though.' I say. 'Why would Setrakus want to destroy his own planet, and his own people?'

Five sighs. 'Haven't you guessed?' he asks. '_Setrakus Ra_ is just an alias. _Setrakus Ra_ is what he calls himself now. _Setrakus Ra_ doesn't actually exist.'

'He's the tenth Elder.' I breathe. It all makes sense now. 'Who is he?' I ask, almost afraid to find out the answer. The person I'm thinking of…. No it can't be. 'Who is he, really?'

Five looks at me almost sorrowfully. 'Once again, you've already guessed.'

'No.' I whisper, trying to deny it. What he's saying, it _can't_ be true.

'Yes.' Five says. 'The guy pretending to be Setrakus Ra? He's my uncle.' He pauses, making sure I understand the implications of what he's saying. 'He's Ella's father. Raylan.'

Nine

'Nine!' Six calls out.

I'm currently ripping through the Mogs with my bare hands, turning them to ash, and avoiding their bullets using super-speed and telekinesis. I yank another soldier by the neck, and snap it, turning him to ash.

'What?' I yell back, turning deal with a Mog who's trying to sneak up on me. Seriously, I'd have thought they would have figured out that I have advanced hearing by now.

'We deal with this wave, then move.' she shouts. She's currently invisible, leaving the Mogs to focus on me while she deals with them from behind. 'Neither of us are exactly experts at hostage negotiation.'

The number of Mogs is rapidly dwindling. A small group clusters around me, but apart from that, they're mostly all dead. I doubt it will take longer than a minute to deal with the rest.

'Agreed.' I say, reaching for another Mog. 'Let's wrap up here and…..'

I'm cut short as a blinding pain pierces through my head. I fall to the floor, clutching my skull in agony. I can see the Mogs approaching, ready to take advantage, but there's nothing I can do. I'm almost completely incapacitated by the pain.

'Nine!' Six yells frantically, and moments later, the Mogs are gone and she's kneeling next to me in a pile of ash. 'What happened?'

'My head.' I groan. The pain is slowly fading, but I feel weird. Like I've opened my eyes and I'm seeing this place clearly for the first time. 'I'm better now, but it feels strange.'

'You got a new Legacy.' Six breathes, staring at me in wonder. 'Any idea what it could be?'

I scramble to my feet and brush the dust and ash off myself. 'I feel different.' I admit. 'Like I know where all the Mogs are now, what defences they've got in this place, and even…..' I stop short, recognizing the sensation. 'Even where Marina is.'

'Awareness.' Six says. 'Nine, this is brilliant!' She notices the look on my face. 'What happened?'

I turn to her, no longer excited. 'I know where Marina is.' I say, my voice trembling. 'Five has her. He's interrogating her now.'

**Sorry again for being late with this chapter. I kind of left it too long, and the result is that it's rushed, and not exactly my best effort. So honestly, if anyone says it sucks, I understand.  
>I hope Setrakus Ra's true identity makes sense to you. I thought it works, because it explains his powers- which, if you consider them carefully, are exactly like Legacies, his weapons, which you could assume to be Elders' inheritance, and how Ella is his heir. I'm pretty sure it also explains why he attacked Lorien and why Five works for him. However, if you happen to find something that I've missed, please review and tell me and I'll try to sort out the mess.<br>Next update will be tomorrow, or on Wednesday. So until next time, folks, review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I'm back with an update. Thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapter. It was great to see the feedback from the readers.  
>Coming to an important matter- the name of Nine's new Legacy. Does 'Awareness' sound good, or should I change it? If so, does anyone have any suggestions for the new name? Or should I leave it as it is?<br>Chapter 7 is here below, and part of it is narrated by….. surprise, surprise….. Five! Don't kill me. Honestly, I felt that his POV was absolutely necessary to understand why he's done everything he has, and how he's necessary for the war.  
>Sorry for the long author's note. Back to the story. Enjoy!<strong>

Five

'You have Ella, don't you?' the girl asks.

She is slumped on her chair, with a huge bruise forming around her eye where the Beloved Leader struck her. Her hands and feet are cuffed to her chair, and her bonds are made of the same metal that is unbreakable and negates our Legacies. Her voice is hollow, and she stares at me with all the energy drained out of her. I nod slowly.

She drops her head, her shoulders drooping in resignation. Then she takes a deep breath and attempts to gather herself. Her shoulders tense once more, ready to fight, and even though her fear and pain are so pitifully obvious, I can't help admiring her resolve. She isn't arrogant, emotionless or cold like the rest of the Garde, but her willpower seems almost unfathomable.

She isn't fearless. She is brave.

Marina

I drop my gaze and stare at my feet, trying to hide the tears that are forming at the thought of Ella, scared and alone, captured by the Mogodorians. Then I square my shoulders and take a deep breath. Now is not the time for weakness.

I look up once again at Five, who is staring impassively at me, his face unreadable. 'The Beloved Leader will not harm her.' he assures me, sensing my distress. 'He wants his heir to be treated well.'

As if that makes me feel any better.

I brush away his words, trying to formulate a plan to escape. It is becoming more and more obvious by the second that Five is not going to help me. Eight must have been wrong. It's up to me to get out of here and rescue Ella.

Could Six and Nine have followed me here? It _is_ possible, especially since they were nowhere to be found at the motel. I know they wouldn't have abandoned me here. Somehow, I need to keep Five distracted until they rescue me.

I stare at Five, his words from earlier echoing through my mind. My stomach twists as I recall his revelation about Raylan, the horrible truth behind this entire war. 'Why?' I ask. 'Why would Raylan want to destroy his own race? How _sick_ is he to destroy millions of lives just because he was _jealous_ that he wasn't included in the Elders' little group?'

'Oh, it wasn't just that.' Five assures me. 'Although you have no idea what it's like to be the last one to join some place, and realize that nobody wants you. That they're quite happy and content when you're not around. It's enough to make someone bitter.' He looks at me darkly, and I know he's referring to himself.

'You have to understand, Marina.' he continues. 'This was when Lorien was in its prime. Look at how strong the remaining Garde are. Hell, look at how powerful the Beloved Leader is. Imagine thousands of Loric, sure, comparatively less powerful, but powerful all the same. A great army. We could do anything that we wanted. And yet… We didn't.'

He snorts with derision. All thoughts of escape have disappeared from my mind now. I'm just listening to him with growing horror, realizing where this is going. Silently, I wonder if he's insane.

'We had unlimited power! We could have done anything with it. And yet, the Elders chose to lounge lazily in their thrones instead of _using_ it.' Five pauses for breath. 'What's the point of having all that power if you let it go to waste? Well, I'm using it. And so is the Beloved Leader. The Great Expansion? It's begun. And we're finally _doing_ something.'

I finally speak, my voice filled with revulsion. 'You think that justifies what you're doing?' I ask, my voice trembling. 'You think that your powers give you an excuse to kill?'

Five doesn't seem to notice my tone. 'At least I have a cause, Marina. You want an example of a disgrace to Lorien? Take your Cepan. She left you to fend for yourself against the greatest fighting force there is.'

I clench my fists. 'Adelina _loved_ me.' I say through gritted teeth. 'She gave her life to save me.'

Once again, Five doesn't seem to notice. He's talking animatedly now, and it's all I can do to contain my disgust. 'It's not too late for you, though.' he says, waving excitedly with his hands. 'You can still join us. Imagine yourself, one of the last Loric alive, one of the last ones with unlimited power, ruling over the universe, doing as you please, answering to no one but the Beloved Leader.' His voice turns greedy, and I try not to shudder as he touches my shoulder. 'Imagine the power you could have.' He turns to face me. 'Think of it as a compensation for all you have lost in this war.' he says earnestly, referring to Eight.

I lose it.

All the pain, loss, guilt, and anger that I have hidden over the past couple of days comes pouring out. I barely realize what I am doing. I just let the rage take over me, and let it flow out, directing it at Five. He betrayed the Garde out of greed, he tried to kill us several times, he murdered Eight, and now he has the nerve to act as though he's my friend and convince me to do the same. If Eight hadn't warned me that he was necessary, if he hadn't begged me to forgive him, Five would probably be dead by now.

I lash out with telekinesis, and Five yelps in surprise as he is sent rocketing backwards at an astonishing speed. He shoves his hand in his pocket, and his body turns rubbery just before it slams into the wall. I don't slacken my grip, and he squirms as he tries to break out from where I've latched him against the wall.

I don't even have to think. My Legacy activates automatically, and ice begins to form on the wall, encasing Five and trapping him there. His eyes widen in surprise as he watches the ice creep up his torso and towards his neck.

'Impossible.' he gasps weakly, struggling to break free. 'Nobody can use Legacies with those cuffs on without experiencing intense pain.'

'You're disgusting.' I growl, ignoring the pain that is building up in my head. I feel like my skull's about to explode, but I'm still furious, and I can resist it for now. 'How can you even think that your Legacies give you the right to destroy lives for your own personal gain? You're a greedy, power-hungry, traitorous wretch, and a disgrace to the name of Lorien! How….. How can this make you happy? Don't you have even the slightest bit of regret? What if it were you who was murdered by someone who wanted to take over the universe? What if you were the one who suffered because someone destroyed everyone that you cared for?' My anger's draining away, replaced by an intense frustration. Tears are streaming from my eyes as I stare at Five, wincing at the insults I've thrown at him, looking more uncomfortable than scared. 'How can you live with yourself after all that you've done? Do you even care about anyone but yourself?'

Five looks at me with shock, and I can tell that he's genuinely surprised at thought of someone acting against their own interests. I ignore him. I just don't care anymore. I turn away from him, weeping bitterly, my anger spent. My telekinetic grip slackens, the ice forming around Five shatters, and he tumbles to the floor, his skin turning back to normal.

'You can go.' I tell him through my tears. 'I'm letting you go for Eight.'

I look away from him and sob, tears pouring silently down my face. It feels good to finally cry, to let out all the pressure, all the pain I have been carrying around. I don't even care that Five is watching. I doubt he'll ever think I'm weak after this little display.

I jolted out of my thoughts by something snaking around my wrist. I open my eyes and stare at Five's rubbery arm, which is squashing itself into the lock of my cuffs, jiggling furiously.

'What are you doing?' I ask.

'The cuffs may be resistant to Legacies,' he says through gritted teeth. 'But their locks can still be picked.'

With a click, my handcuffs snap open. Five's rubbery arm withdraws from my wrist and snakes downwards towards my legs, squeezing itself into the keyhole of my bonds.

'You're helping me?' I ask, amazed, as I extract my wrists from the cuffs and rub them, trying to get the blood flowing through them again.

'Don't get me wrong.' Five grunts, as the cuffs around my legs snap open, and I yank them off, sighing with relief. He straightens and rummages inside his pocket. 'I think you're an idiot for not taking this offer. But I still owe you one for Eight, and if you want to get yourself killed, then, well, now we're even.'

He looks at me coldly as he removes something from his pocket and offers it to me. It's a pale yellow stone, and I instantly know it's from one of our Chests. 'This is the Xitharis I stole from Six.' he says. 'I've already charged it with my flight Legacy. They won't think of looking for you in the air.'

'Five….' I begin, but he cuts me off.

'I'm giving you five minutes, then I raise the alarm. After you leave this cell, turn right. When you exit the passageway, you'll come to a large cavern. At the other end is the exit. You can escape from there.'

I hesitantly walk to the door, wondering if this is some elaborate trap. I open it warily, and the darkness of a tunnel greets me. I turn back to look at Five, who is still standing in the same position, watching my every move.

'Four minutes now.' he tells me.

I turn to leave when something occurs to me. Something Eight asked me to do. It probably won't make a difference, but I have to try anyway.

I turn to face Five again. 'One last thing.' I say. 'I… I guess I forgive you too.'

His expression doesn't change, but I think I see a glint of relief in his eye as I walk out into the passageway.

Five

I stand quietly in the cell, thinking about why I let her go.

It wasn't, as I had told her, because I was in her debt. I'm certain of that. It was something she said, when she pinned me to the wall, with her eyes burning with fury and an expression of disgust on her face.

_Do you even care about anyone but yourself?_

Why am I feeling this way? What am I even feeling? This isn't like the realization I felt when I read the Great Book, or the rush I experienced when I heard of the power the Beloved Leader promised me. It's more like emptiness… Like these emotions, which were constants in my life, are missing.

I try to distract myself with my dreams, my dreams of power, dreams the Beloved Leader promised me would come true if I served him, but even they fail to excite me now. There is something that is pulling me away from that, something very much like….. Guilt.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts as my internal clock buzzes, telling me that it's been five minutes since I let Marina go. I have to raise the alarm now.

No. I'll give her two more minutes. She does need to escape, after all.

Besides, for some reason, the thought of reporting her escape to the Mogodorians suddenly fills me with revulsion.

Marina

I float nervously near the roof of the cavern, clutching the Xitharis that Five gave me. Below me, the gigantic cavern is swarming with Mogodorians. Even the bridge, connecting my exit to the tunnel I came from, is filled with Mogs traversing from one end to the other.

I curse softly as I search for a way to escape without being spotted. No one has seen me yet, but it'll take just one glance upwards before I'm discovered. I probably have just moments before Five raises the alarm, and even if they don't find me then, this thing still lasts only an hour. Lorien knows how long this place could be locked down. If all else fails, I'm going to have to make a break for it and risk being spotted.

The crowd thins a bit. The cavern is still filled, but there's no one at the exit anymore. I get ready to launch myself towards it…

'Marina?' a hoarse voice says in disbelief.

My head snaps upwards as I search frantically for the speaker. 'Six? Nine? Where are you?'

A hand grabs me by the arm, and I instantly feel the disorientating shift in gravity that comes with Nine's Legacy. It's a bit disconcerting to tumble to the ceiling and stand upside down, but I manage not to throw up.

Six grabs my other hand, and I turn invisible, hidden from the world by her Legacy. I slip the Xitharis in my pocket.

'How did you get here?' Six asks, stunned. 'And were you…. flying?'

'Long story.' I say. 'How did you find me?'

'I got a new Legacy.' Nine says excitedly. 'See….'

'Actually,' Six interrupts, 'maybe we should get out first.'

'Agreed.' I say. 'Five said I had just minutes before he raised the alarm. We should leave now.'

'Wait, Five helped you escape?' Nine asks, stunned.

'Later.' I say impatiently, yanking them towards the exit. 'We have to leave now or….'

Alarms begin to blare. Right before my eyes, a force-field activates near the exit, extending around it like a bubble.

'That'll happen.' Six finishes, drawing away from the exit.

We're trapped.

**A question for all the Percy Jackson fans reading this story. Does anyone else think that Five is a lot like Ethan Nakamura? Both are introduced in the fourth book, both betray their own kind, both have lost an eye and wear an eyepatch, Ethan stabs Annabeth while trying to kill Percy and Five stabs Eight while trying to kill Nine, etc.  
>Coming back to the story, the next update will be tomorrow or Friday. Hope you enjoyed, and, as always, review!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, guys. I'm back with chapter 8.  
>Before I continue with the story, there's something I need to say. One of my closest friends just got appendicitis, and…. Thankfully, she's better now, but it was actually really hard for me to write this chapter, because every moment I just kept praying like crazy that she gets well soon. But I wrote this chapter anyway, and so I'm dedicating it to her, because she's awesome and she means so, so much to me.<br>If you read this, thanks. On to the story.  
>P.S. Sorry, I forgot to mention. Ella's POV in this chapter is set immediately after she's kidnapped. However, when you read it, you'll understand why I had to wait so long to write it.<strong>

Six

I swear under my breath and draw away from the exit, dragging Nine and Marina with me. The force-field is currently rapidly changing colour, turning from a pale green to a clear blue, and finally a dark red.

That can't be good.

I let out a string of curses, specifying in colourful terms _exactly_ what I'm going to do with Setrakus Ra, the next time I see his ugly face. 'It doesn't matter.' I say to Nine and Marina, trying to reassure myself as much as them. 'We're invisible and perched on the ceiling. They won't find us here. We can wait the lockdown out.'

'Yeah.' Marina agrees, though she sounds just as unsure as me. 'How long can a lockdown last, anyway?'

'Um, _actually_…' Nine begins hesitantly.

Below us, in the cavern, a gigantic machine groans to life. Its face swivels upwards, pointing directly at the ceiling near us. A robotic voice sounds out.

'Activating infrared scanner now.' it beeps.

'That's going to happen.' Nine finishes grimly. 'Anyone have any ideas? We've got maybe ten seconds.'

'Maybe we can…' I begin, then pause. 'Marina, what are you doing?'

The temperature around us is dropping fast. Suddenly, I'm shivering, and every breath I release mists in front of me. Frost begins to form on the ceiling at our feet.

Marina replies through gritted teeth, and I can almost imagine her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she speaks. 'Trying to lower the temperature.' she says. 'If I can hold it there long enough, maybe I can hide our heat signature in order to fool the scanner.'

'Marina, have you been taking lessons from Nine?' I ask in disbelief.

Just then, the machine beeps. 'Infrared scanner activated.'

I hardly breathe as the scanner slowly swivels about, gradually turning towards us. I'm certain that, despite Marina's brilliant idea, the scanner will detect us anyway. And even though I'm not afraid of a battle, I still know for sure that fighting an army of Mogs in their own base is a bad idea.

The scanner swivels to face us…. And continues without so much as pausing.

'Scan compared to camera feed.' the scanner beeps. 'No intruders detected.'

I release a sigh of relief. 'Brilliant idea, Marina.' I say warmly. 'You saved us.'

'Thanks.' she replies softly, sounding pleased. 'I…'

Just then, the machine beeps again. 'Scanning for Legacies in use.'

I glance towards where I estimate Marina is standing, clutching my hand. 'Got any more brilliant ideas?' I ask.

Marina

'Release my hand and grab hold of my arm instead.' I command.

'What?' Six asks, sounding confused. 'How will that help?'

'Just do it.' I say firmly. 'I need something from my pocket. And deactivate your invisibility.'

Six obeys, and I stuff my hand into my pocket, searching for the Xitharis. 'Here!' I say triumphantly, holding it up for them to see.

Six's eyes widen. 'That's John's Xitharis!' she hisses in shock. 'Where did you get that?'

'There's no time to explain.' I say, closing my eyes in concentration. 'Nine, deactivate your anti-gravity.'

'What? No!' he protests. 'Are you mad? We'll fall!'

'Do it!' I hiss.

Nine obeys reluctantly, and we all start to tumble towards the ground, just as the scanner swivels to face us.

With a jerk, we grind to a halt as I draw on Five's Legacy of flight to keep us in the air. Six and Nine clutch my arms, trying to keep themselves from falling. The strain of holding up three people is almost too much for me, though, and I can feel my consciousness start to fade.

'The scanner detects Legacies that are in use.' I explain, my entire body tensing with the effort. Sweat beads on my forehead, and I can feel my consciousness slipping. I can't hold on much longer. 'But maybe it doesn't detect our Inheritance.'

The machine beeps. 'No intruders detected.'

I let out a groan of relief. 'Nine.' I gasp. 'You can activate your Legacy now.'

I feel the familiar but disorienting shift in my sense of direction as I fall flat on the ceiling, spent completely by the effort of keeping Nine and Six in the air. They gently lift me to my feet, and I rest my weight on them, trying hard to stay conscious.

A Mog's voice sounds out below us. 'They obviously aren't in this room.' he says gruffly. 'Call for reinforcements and make sure they don't leave.'

'Lockdown deactivated.' the machine sounds out.

That's the last thing I hear before I black out.

Ella

Setrakus Ra stands in front of me. He's about to execute Sam.

In the distance, I can feel John's presence fade away. I try to cry out to him, beg him not to leave, but I can't. I'm not in control of this dream. I just watch helplessly as I see him become transparent and then disappear.

Setrakus doesn't seem to notice. He's raising his sword, ready to strike down Sam. Ready to kill the last person fighting for Lorien. I try to scream, look away, anything, but I can't even move.

His sword comes crashing down. Sam has no chance. He's killed instantly. His head, separated from his body, topples down the stairs and comes to a halt at Five's feet.

_Five_. His betrayal was perhaps the most shocking discovery of today. At least now I know that he's a traitor. And hopefully, John does too.

I shudder as Setrakus turns to me, smiling cruelly, showing off his disgusting teeth. 'Well done, my heir.' he says, before seating himself in the throne next to me.

I lean as far away from him as I can and wait desperately for the dream to come to an end. Normally, after showing me how he conquers Earth, and worst of all, how I help him do it, he lets me wake up. But this time, instead, the scene changes.

I'm standing near the doorway of a gigantic room. The walls seem old-fashioned, made of stone instead of brick. A fire crackles merrily in the fireplace, the smoke curling out through the chimney. Couches and easy-chairs are scattered near the walls. In the centre, a man and a woman stand arguing.

'Sir!' a voice calls out. 'Myra seems to have caught what Olivia had. Her shape-shifting has gone awry.'

I stiffen. I know who spoke.

I turn to face the doorway, suddenly trembling. I can hear footsteps in the corridor outside, approaching the doorway to this room. I find myself shivering with anticipation.

Crayton enters the room, smiling. Swaddled in his arms, covered with blankets and snoring gently, is a baby.

'And Ella is asleep.' he adds. 'Should I take her to her room?'

The man and woman turn to face him. They both have smiles on their faces, though they seem a little forced, like they aren't done arguing.

Crayton doesn't seem to notice. He carries the baby to the couple. They lean down and kiss her forehead in turn, and then the man nods. Crayton walks the other way this time, exiting through a door at the other end of the room that I hadn't noticed before.

Then, once more, I turn to face my parents.

They both have scowls on their faces, and they speak in low voices, hissing at each other like they don't want to attract Crayton's attention. I try to move closer to hear what they are arguing about, but before I can, the scene changes.

I'm in the same room, but this time, it's burning. My parents are staggering towards the door opposite, making for the room I saw Crayton take me into.

Suddenly, Crayton emerges from that door, carrying the baby in his arms. The man nods at him. 'Go.' he says. 'Take her like we decided.' He gestures at my mother.

Crayton nods and disappears through the doorway, taking me with him.

The moment he's gone, my mother rounds on my father. I've covered for you long enough.' she hisses. 'I know you caused this, and I won't forgive you for it. You have taken advantage of me because I loved you. No more.'

My mind races. I try to figure out what my mother is saying. For some reason…. For some reason, she seems to be blaming my father for the invasion.

I have to find out more. I draw closer to my parents, but just as I reach level with my parents, the dream fades away.

I wake up with a jolt. I'm in a large unfamiliar room. It's instantly obvious that this is not Nine's penthouse. However, that doesn't bother me yet. In fact, I hardly even notice it. I'm staring disbelievingly at something else altogether.

Sitting by my side, at the edge of my bed, is my father.

**Sorry! I actually should have said this before I started the chapter itself. I just got 50 reviews, and I'd like to thank all my reviewers for making it happen. Thank you so much, guys. A special thank you to thesecondgarde, scone104, EpicLoric24 and Colemet Milinia for reading and reviewing each and every chapter and supporting me so much. I love you guys, and can't thank you enough.  
>Next update will be by Monday. Thanks for reading, and please review!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! It's great to finally be back with an update!  
>Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. There were just six reviewers this time, so I can answer each review individually. (I've always wanted to do that)<br>scone104: No, it's Ella's real father, don't worry. Thanks so much!  
>thesecondgarde: Thank you so much. I love your stories too!<br>EpicLoric24: Thanks so much, that was actually one of the few chapters I had planned beforehand. I'm glad it worked out!  
>Guest: Thanks! I love your reviews, they keep me going.<br>Colemet Milinia: Thank you so much, you're too kind. You update soon too!  
>. . .Five: Thank you so much! I love all your stories, it's great that you liked mine too. Please keep reading and reviewing!<br>Okay, enough with the long Author's Note. Back to the story!**

Marina

I wake up to the smell of burning.

'Fire!' I yelp, scrambling off the couch on which I was previously resting, and getting to my feet. I look wildly around me, trying to get a hold of my location, but before I can calm down enough to take it in, Six comes charging in through the door.

'Whoa!' she exclaims, startled. 'Calm down. What happened?'

'Fire!' I yell again, panicking completely now. 'We have to leave before this place burns down!'

Six stares at me, then bursts out laughing. 'This place isn't on fire, Marina.' she giggles. 'That's just Nine trying to cook.'

'Oh.' I say, feeling extremely stupid as Six tries to maintain a straight face, then bursts out laughing again. 'Right. Where am I?'

I'm standing in what's obviously the living room of a small house. The couch, covered with a dirty, fraying sheet, is the only piece of furniture in the room. The walls are choked with cobwebs and dust, and a small, dilapidated lawn is visible from the window. Through the door, I can hear Nine cursing as tries to put together something edible for us to eat.

Six shrugs. 'In an abandoned house somewhere in Pennsylvania. We didn't want to go to a hotel after last time. We're maybe a couple of hours away from New York.'

'How long was I out?' I ask, almost afraid to find out.

Six hesitates. 'For about five hours.' she finally admits. 'It's almost dark already.'

My cheeks burn with embarrassment. Once again, I had to rely on Six and Nine to haul me out of trouble. If I had gotten them captured once again, I'd never have forgiven myself. 'I'm sorry, Six.' I begin. 'I…..'

Six stares at me like I've gone mad. 'You're kidding, right?' she asks. 'You saved us from getting killed back at the cave with your quick thinking. You fainted from the effort of keeping us alive, and you're _apologizing_?

I blush. 'I, um… How did you even find me?' I ask, changing the subject.

'We stowed away in one of their jeeps.' Six explains. 'Nine and I have both spent a pretty unpleasant year each in that cave, so we knew it well enough not to get lost, but not so well that we knew where they'd take you. We spent some time searching, even got discovered once, but we got away before reinforcements arrived. And then…..'

'Then I got a new Legacy.' a voice sounds out from the doorway, finishing Six's sentence.

I look up to see Nine smirking at me, his neck bent to avoid bashing his head on the low frame. 'Glad you're awake, Marina.' he says, grinning. 'Neither of us can cook to save our life.'

'You got a new Legacy?' I repeat, ignoring his comment. He nods slowly.

'Six calls it Awareness.' he confirms. 'There's actually no other way to describe it. I just know what's happening in a five-mile radius around me. After that, it was pretty easy to find you, hovering that you were, above the cavern. Speaking of which…..' he disappears into the kitchen and emerges again moments later with a small chair. 'You have a lot of explaining to do.'

I glance at Six, who nods once at me, indicating that she's listening. I look away, take a deep breath, and begin.

I start with Nine's yell of warning at the hotel room, my confrontation with Setrakus Ra, my capture, and my being knocked out. I tell them about my vision of Eight, and describe that vast nothingness that I experienced. I mostly skim over the details of our conversation, leaving out our kiss and Eight's prediction of my death. I don't want to worry them until I figure out what it means.

I continue the story, telling them about my conversation with Five, and everything that I figured out from it. Nine's jaw tightens as I tell them about how I lost my temper with Five, then sags in amazement when he hears how Five helped me escape, and how I'm sure that Ella's been captured. I finally finish with Six and Nine finding me in the cavern, and glance at them, releasing a breath I didn't known I'd been holding, and trying to gauge their reaction.

Six and Nine are both good listeners. I half-expected Nine to make some idiotic comments halfway through the story, but they both listen to me in complete silence. After I'm done, they both exhale and glance anxiously at each other. No doubt they're debating the gentlest way to tell me I'm crazy.

'Wow.' Six says finally. She comes over and wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a hug. I hug her back uncertainly. 'You went through so much, and….. Wow.'

Over her shoulder, Nine grins at me. 'You rock, Marina.' he assures me. 'Sure, not as much as me, but….'

'Nine?' Six says, not bothering to extricate her head from my shoulder. 'Shut up.'

I laugh too, feeling a lot more relaxed now that I've told my friends everything. Sure, what I learnt back at the base was very bad news, but now that I'm back with Six and Nine, I feel like there's nothing we can't do.

Even the pain of Eight's death has faded a little. He will always be a part of me, but even though I can never move on from that, I feel the need to honour him by taking up the cause that he died for. And that keeps the sadness away, because I know that's not what he would have wanted.

Besides, like he said, I _will_ see him again before the war is over. And even though that's probably because I'll be dead, I can't help the warmth that creeps up my body, all the way from my toes, making my head feel fuzzy.

The smell of burning suddenly grows stronger, and Nine curses. 'Oh, hell!' he exclaims. I forgot to turn off the gas.'

Six sits down next to me and laughs as Nine sprints to the kitchen, clipping his head against the frame of the door on his way out.

'Now that he's gone,' she says, 'You can tell me what you left out.'

'What do you mean?' I ask.

Six rolls her eyes. 'Oh, come on.' she says. 'It was obvious that you were hiding something when you got to your conversation with Eight. The only reason Nine didn't notice was because he's such an insensitive jerk.' She spits the insult out.

'Hey!' Nine complains from the kitchen. 'I heard that!'

'Fine.' I whisper, reminding myself that Nine has advanced hearing. 'You really want to know?' My feeling of safety suddenly vanishes, leaving a sudden surge of frustration. 'Eight told me that I'm going to die.'

Six

I listen in silence as Marina relates her entire conversation with Eight to me. I grin a little when she tells me about their kiss, but when she gets to the part about Eight's prediction of her death, I become serious again.

'He didn't _directly_ say that I was going to die.' she finishes, wringing her hands with frustration. 'But that's what was implied. What other answer is there?'

I frown a little when she's done, wracking my brain furiously, searching for an answer. The truth is, I can't see a flaw in Marina's judgement. But I have to find one. I can't let my best friend die. I'm not _going to_ let Marina die.

Marina

I carefully watch Six, waiting for an answer to my question. She seems outwardly calm, but I know her well enough to see that inwardly, she's reeling.

Despite that, despite feeling bad for making Six feel upset, I feel a lot better now that I've told her everything. Not just because I feel lighter now that I'm not carrying that secret around with me, but because I know that now Six will do everything in her power to keep me safe.

And her power is considerable.

'I don't know, Marina.' Six says, finally looking up at me. Anyone else looking at her now would notice that she still has the same expression as before, but I see the gleam in her eyes that tells me she's found a loophole in my judgement. 'Back in India, we saw the picture in the cave that showed Eight getting stabbed in Dulce, and we thought he was going to die there. But it never showed him die. And he didn't, that time. You saved him.'

'How does that change anything?' I ask, but suddenly, I'm feeling hopeful. I think I know what she's implying.

'Eight didn't directly predict your death.' she says. 'So, all I'm saying is, don't jump to conclusions.'

'Thanks, Six.' I tell her. She looks at me, and her usually hard gaze softens.

'Anytime, Marina.' she replies.

Six

'Marina?' I say, turning to my best friend. There's something I have to know.

'Yeah.' she replies, looking away from the window and towards me. 'What's bothering you?'

'When Eight told you that you were going to die, that you would be with him before the war got over…' I hesitate, hoping she won't get offended. 'Did you feel relieved?'

She frowns, confused. 'What do you mean?' she asks.

'When Katarina died,' I say, 'I felt more helpless and alone than I'd ever been in my life. I hadn't got any Legacies yet, and the only thing that was stopping the Mogs from killing me was the charm. And sometimes….. Sometimes, I wished that it didn't. That I could just go where Katarina and my parents were. That all that running and hiding could be over and I could have some _peace_. You….. You've had it even worse than me. So did you feel that way when Eight died?'

She shakes her head, smiling. To my utter relief, she doesn't seem offended. 'I felt glad that I would be with Eight if I died. But I don't _want_ to die. I want to live for as long as I can, so that I can honour Eight and Hector and Adelina. Not just by winning the war, but also by doing everything they secretly wanted to do. Fulfilling several lifetimes worth of dreams.'

I pause to consider this statement, and understand the magnitude of what she's saying. It's a beautiful concept, and suddenly I find myself wanting to do the same for Katarina. 'That's…. deep.' I say.

Marina smiles gratefully at me. 'Thanks.' She says. 'I…..'

Nine barrels into the room, this time remembering to duck as he enters. He pauses when he sees are expressions, momentarily forgetting why he came. 'What are you talking about?' he asks.

'Eight.' I say, before Marina can answer.

Nine snorts. 'If she was telling you about their date in Chicago, it can wait until we're on the road.'

I round on Marina before she has a chance to protest. 'You went on a _date_?' I ask incredulously.

'It wasn't a date!' she protests, but her cheeks are red and I can see that she's struggling to keep a smile off her face.

Nine clears his throat impatiently. 'Can we have the girl-talk later?' he complains. 'We need to go. _Now_.'

'This conversation is not over.' I promise Marina, turning reluctantly to face Nine. His face is dead-serious, which is unlike him, and I instantly feel the humour drying up.

'What happened?' I ask anxiously.

'My internal radar just about screamed.' Nine says, tapping his head to indicate his Legacy. His face is still serious, but a hint of worry finally shows itself in his eyes. 'Johnny boy is in trouble.'

**Whew! Finally! That chapter was extremely hard for me to write. I find fillers and small-talk so difficult (dramatic dialogues, action-packed battles, and cliffhangers, by contrast, come almost naturally).  
>As you may have figured out, this chapter was the calm before the storm. For a while, over the next few chapters, all hell is going to break loose and stay loose.<br>Also, I'm going to be posting another small one-shot before the day is over. Please check that out too.  
>Thanks so much for reading. Now please review!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Chapter 10 is here! Wow, I can't believe I've actually gotten so far. I never thought I'd be able to focus on a single story for so long.  
>Thanks to all the reviewers! Colemet Milinia, scone104, thesecondgarde, charasweet, GuestSapphire/Prajnaa (wow, you have as many aliases as Eight :P) and revenge-is-sweet-98- thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing.  
>A tribute to one of my regular reviewers- EpicLoric24, when you read this, let me tell you that you rock! I missed your reviews around here. Hope your exams went well.<br>Alright, I've jabbered long enough. Chapter 10! Enjoy!**

John

'How long now?' I ask softly, careful not to disturb Sarah, who is snoring gently in my arms.

Malcolm glances cursorily at the navigation system before replying. 'Maybe half an hour, give or take.' he says.

Around me, in the helicopter, everyone's fallen asleep. Sam and Adam are curled up in their seats, their heads swaying slowly with the movement of the helicopter. Sarah's position is considerably more comfortable- she's wrapped in my arms, her back pressing against my chest, her head resting gently on my shoulder. Even Malcolm's head is nodding gently, his eyes red and puffy from the strain of staying awake so long almost immediately after a near-death experience.

I slowly withdraw my left hand from Sarah's body and reach out to check the tablet. All three flashing dots have been in the same position for about an hour now- close to the highway in Pennsylvania. About four hours ago, when Sam noticed them moving away from the cave in West Virginia, it brought about a huge bout of cheering, but since then, there's been little excitement, and everyone has slowly fallen asleep. It makes sense to sleep now- we all need our rest, and we don't know what could happen when we land.

But try as I might, I _can't_ sleep. I've had more than my fair share of rest when I was locked in a coma back at Nine's penthouse, and even though that was a mentally exhausting experience, my body feels fresh and rested. I'm too jumpy about meeting the others again to fall asleep now.

'You could use some sleep.' I tell Malcolm sympathetically, as I watch him rub his eyes furiously with his left hand. 'You've been flying this thing the entire day.'

'Not now, John.' Malcolm replies, gritting his teeth to stop himself from yawning. 'We're so close to them. It doesn't make sense to stop now.'

I sigh. He's right. It doesn't.

'Besides,' Malcolm begins. 'I…'

He's interrupted by a cluster of klaxons that start wailing simultaneously, almost deafening me. Sam, Sarah and Adam wake with a jerk, rubbing their eyes in confusion, disorientated and unsure.

Malcolm pales. 'This is a military helicopter.' he says nervously. 'Then…. Then these alarms mean….'

'We're under attack.' I finish.

Ella

'Dad?' I ask, staring at him, unable to believe my eyes. Crayton told me that he had stayed behind during the invasion, that he'd stayed to fight. He has to be dead. The Garde and their Cepans were the only survivors of the invasion of Lorien.

My father can't have survived. John once showed me how the planet looks now. It was completely barren and lifeless. There's no way my father could have gotten out alive.

This is a trick. It has to be. This is Setrakus Ra, assuming my father's form, trying to get to me. I can't let him do that.

'Get away from me!' I yell at him, as he turns to face me. 'I know who you are! You're Setrakus Ra! You're not my dad!'

'You're half-right, Ella.' he murmurs softly, cupping my chin so that I'm looking at him. His gentleness takes me by surprise. In a flash, he starts to change, until a familiar figure stands in front of me. 'I _am_ Setrakus Ra.' he says. He starts to change again, until he's taken on the form of my father. 'But I am also your father.'

'No.' I murmur, as the implications of what he's saying sink in. I back away from him in horror. He follows me, but he doesn't seem intimidating any more. As my father, he looks more like a librarian, thin and serious. That is, until I look into his eyes and see the cruelty glinting underneath. 'You're lying!'

'I'm not.' he says softly, walking towards me. I try to retreat further, and realize with horror that I've been backed into a wall. 'You know I'm not.'

I do. I don't know how, but I believe with utter conviction that he _is_ my father.

'Why?' I whisper, as he approaches me, slowly, steadily, until he's standing level with me. I look up hesitantly at him, hating myself for trembling as I do so. 'Why are you doing this?'

He stops short and looks at me. There's something about his gaze that is almost sad, that gives me the courage not to look away.

No. His gaze isn't sad. It's wistful.

'I thought you wouldn't understand.' he says, reaching out with his hand to touch my cheek. 'There's so much you haven't been told. So much that's been hidden for you. Your entire life so far has been built on a lie.'

His hand brushes my cheek, and suddenly his gaze is keen, scrutinizing. I try not to squirm, but I'm terrified. I feel like an insect being examined in a lab- helpless and doomed.

'I can't tell you.' he continues, his voice becoming grave. 'Words can never explain everything that has happened.' His finger moves slowly upwards, coming to a halt at my temple. 'But I can show you.'

I scream as electricity seems to pass through the point of contact, and then I collapse into a vision.

John

'Open the door!' I scream at Sam, as the helicopter swerves violently, narrowly avoiding a hail of bullets that would have sheared off the rotors.

Sam is still disorientated, but thankfully, he understands what I plan to do. I take a deep breath and activate my Lumen, launching a fireball the moment Sam yanks open the doors.

A Mogodorian ship tried to overtake at just the wrong moment. The fireball slams into the engine, causing a massive explosion.

I lean out of the door the moment well before the shrapnel stops flying. I'm not worried about being hit- I know my bracelet will open out the moment something is threatening me. I'm a lot more worried about the helicopter- the bracelet's shield barely encases me, let alone an entire vehicle.

The wind rips at my face, buffeting me and almost sending me tumbling to the ground far below. I regain my balance just in time to see an entire fleet of Mogodorian ships on our tail.

I launch a barrage of fireballs at them, but they've wised up to the trick. They angle their craft the moment the fireball comes barrelling their way, slamming into the exposed bulletproof casing.

I curse and lob another one their way. It hardly makes a dent.

I can sense the others behind me, crawling to the door to back me up with guns, but I wave them back. Those bullets won't do any damage my fireballs can't. No sense in wasting ammo.

I launch another fireball at them, trying to control its passage through the air. To my surprise, it actually swerves a little towards their engines, but it misses and falls harmlessly to the ground.

I curse. If I had more practise, or if there were fewer of them, or even if the wind wasn't tearing at my skin, disrupting my concentration, I might have been able to take them out. Currently, I'm helpless.

The ships, emboldened by the shortage of attacks, right themselves and start firing. Several bullets slam into the fuselage, and the rotors stutter, but I've stopped most of them with telekinesis. I can still do _that_.

I'm so focused on protecting the copter that I don't notice the Mogodorian ship that sneaks past us from underneath, until it pulls up and level with the door. I whip my head towards it, but it's already too late. We're doomed.

The entrance to the ship is lying open, and from the stairwell someone gazes out at me, his eyes filled with hatred. He takes in our situation- me, dangling from the vehicle, Malcolm, furiously trying to keep the helicopter in the air, and Adam, Sam, and Sarah looking shakily at him, their guns cradled uselessly in their arms with terror, and laughs. He raises his gun, and before I can react, fires at the engine of our copter.

There's a gigantic screech of metal being torn off as the helicopter jerks to a halt mid-air. The rotors stutter, spinning jerkily, just about keeping us in the air. The General lowers his gun and locks eyes with someone behind me. Adam.

'I wanted to kill you myself.' he says to him, almost regretfully. 'But I've got a score to settle.'

Before I realize what he means, he jumps.

His hands grab hold of my shoulders, and I lose my grip on the frame. I slip forward, dragged out of the door by gravity and the General's immense weight. For a tantalizing moment, we hang there, suspended mid-air, with nothing to support us, nothing but the ground far, far below me.

'Let's see how you survive this, shall we?' the General says, grinning with satisfaction.

Then we fall.

**Once again, thanks so much for reading! I love you guys, your support is what has kept the story going so far.  
>The fillers are over for now, and the cyclone has begun. The next couple of chapters are going to be crazy, to say the least.<br>Argh! The thing which bugs me most about this series is the pairings. How messed up can one person's love life get? I almost hate writing the relationship scenes, because I know someone's going to get disappointed. The only solid couples were Marina and Eight, and Adam and One, and they're both… Yeah.  
>Okay, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to be following the books' pairings. At least it's less complicated that way.<br>Thanks so much once more for reading. Now please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews. I've reached 70 reviews and I'm really celebrating… Thanks to each and every person who read this story!  
>As promised, this chapter, and the next two or three, for that matter, are going to be absolutely crazy. Please review and tell me if they get <strong>_**too**_** crazy, I have a tendency to… overdo things.  
>Please also check out my other story 'What Wouldn't I Give?'! It's a series of one-shots based on the Lorien Legacies. I've already posted two, and more will be coming soon!<br>Thanks once more for reading! Chapter 11 is here! Enjoy!**

Sarah

'John!' I scream in horror.

I can't stop shaking. I just saw John….. The General just grabbed him and he just _fell_. What if he's…

No. John isn't dead. He's powerful, and he won't go down so easily. He'll think of something. He's going to make it out alive. He has to be alive.

I need him to be alive.

A guttural howl sounds out, and Bernie Kosar leaps out of the open door of the helicopter, changing into a hawk mid-air, and spiralling down after John. I stare after him. I'd completely forgotten about him.

I don't know why he hung back during the battle. Maybe he saw John motion to us to stay back and thought it applied to him too. Maybe he decided to guard us while John went on offense. Whatever the case, he's gone to help John now. John will be fine. I feel relief surge through me….

Only to be replaced by ice-cold terror, as I realize the Mogodorian ship next to us is drawing back, rejoining the fleet behind us. It suddenly occurs to me that there's been an eerie silence for the last few seconds, almost as if the Mogs have stopped firing at us…..

Of course. They don't want to destroy their own ship if they can help it. They've been waiting for it to pull back. As soon as it does, they'll have a clear line of fire. Once they do, there's nothing we can do to stop them from blasting us out of the sky.

And BK just left us undefended.

We have to find the other Garde _now_.

John

I plummet downwards, wrestling with the General, trying to push him away from me so that I can use my telekinesis to stop myself from falling.

Unfortunately, he's too strong. I can feel us picking up speed, the ground getting closer every moment, but he's got the upper hand. His right hand has clamped me in a vice-like grip, and since I'm below him, I have no way of brushing him off.

With a defiant screech, BK spirals down towards me in hawk form, his talons digging into my shoulders, trying to lift me back to the helicopter. I try to yell out a warning, but it's too late.

The General snarls. 'Filthy Chimaera!' he snaps. 'Stay out of this!'

He tries to grab hold of his gun or his sword, but he can't reach them without letting go of me. Instead, he lashes out with his left hand with surprising speed, his fingers clamping around BK's wing. BK squawks with surprise and tries to get away, but as I've already found out the hard way, the General's grip is too strong.

'Got you, you Loric filth.' he grunts, crushing BK's wing within his hand. BK lets out a screech of pain, and I can sense him losing consciousness as the General heaves, sending him tumbling down towards the trees below.

'Go on, Number Four.' he grins savagely, looking down at me. The ground is approaching at an alarming rate, and I know that if I don't do anything in the next five seconds, I'm going to be a Loric pancake on the ground. 'Use your _Legacies_ or we both die.'

I reluctantly focus on my telekinesis, but it's already too late to stop. We're falling to fast, and the best I can do is to slow us down in fits and jerks, so that it feels like we're tumbling down a gigantic invisible staircase instead of free-falling. I know this still won't stop me from being breaking every bone in my body when we land.

The ground is so close now, I can make out the individual trees in the dense woods below us. Out of the corner of my eye, I see BK crash into one of them and topple on to the ground.

I panic.

With a final surge of desperation, I create one last telekinetic barrier, trying furiously to prevent us from certain death.

With a sudden jerk, our fall slows down, giving me whiplash across my back. We're falling slowly enough that we won't die on impact. Even so, I am dimly aware that this is going to hurt.

With a thud, I crash through the trees and slam into the ground, my already injured back bruising even more. My breath is knocked out of me as the General lands on top of me, crushing my ribs like potato chips. He bounces off me and comes to a halt a short distance away, right at the edge of the woods.

With a groan, I try to get up, but intense pain shoots through my chest the moment I try to move. I can feel my head swimming, hazy with pain, my consciousness drifting away.

I can't faint now. That would mean certain death.

The General staggers to his feet, grunting with pain. His pale skin is extensively cut and bruised, and he has a large gash on his side. Even so, he's in considerably better condition than me. He catches sight of me and walks towards me, his limp fading with every step.

With a vicious grin, he bends down and grabs hold of my bracelet, this time not even grimacing with the pain it causes him. He yanks it roughly off my arm, causing me to writhe as a sharp burst of pain shoots through my body.

The General chuckles and tosses it aside, laughing at my feeble attempts to clamber to my feet. Every movement causes excruciating pain in my head and chest, and with each effort, I feel myself weakening, my thoughts getting hazier, my consciousness slipping away. And even after all that, I stay stuck in the same position, helpless against the fatal blow that I know will come any moment.

The General slowly unsheathes his sword, laughing cruelly at my increasingly desperate attempts to escape and get to safety. He raises the sword over his head and holds it there, savouring the moment.

'This is the second Garde I shall have the pleasure of killing.' he says, his eyes lighting up with delight. 'Your time has come to an end, Number Four. You are finished. And with you dead, the rest of the Loric scum with follow, like mindless sheep without their leader.'

'Go to hell.' I spit out at him, wincing at the pain that stabs automatically through my head.

'No, Number Four.' he says. 'That's where I intend to send you.'

With that, he stabs down at my heart.

Adam

Now is probably not a good time to mention that I'm afraid of flying.

BK has just leaped down from the helicopter, flying after John to help him survive the fall. I'm worried about him, but he's a member of the Garde. I know he's more than a match for a Mog, even if it is my father. He'll be fine.

I'm a lot more worried about those of us left back in the helicopter. Three humans and a Mog fighting off an entire fleet of bulletproof Mogodorian ships with….. You guessed it. Guns and bullets. BK's departure has left us even more vulnerable than before. I don't know why they haven't shot us out of the sky yet, but I do know that they will any moment.

And there's nothing I can do about it.

It's only now that I realize how reliant I was on One's Legacy to keep me safe. On the ground, I'm someone powerful, someone to be reckoned with. I can fight of battalions of enemies and escape unscathed. Here, in the air, I feel more helpless than I ever was before.

And it terrifies me.

It doesn't help that my father dragged John of the ship without taking his revenge on me. The only reason he would ever have done that was because he thought our chances of survival were less than zero.

'We have to land now.' Sarah snaps, taking charge of the situation. 'They're not firing yet because they're waiting for the General's ship to pull back. The moment they do, we're finished.

I would have snorted with amusement if the situation wasn't so serious. Even the Mogs won't destroy one of their own unless they can help it.

Except me, of course.

'We can't land now.' Malcolm says, his face ashen. We need to find water. There's no way I have enough time to force a landing without crashing.

'No lake's going to conveniently appear in our path, Malcolm!' Sarah says, beginning to panic. 'We have to…'

She's cut off by the unmistakable sound of the Mog ships opening fire. Sam crawls to the door and fires a couple of return shots, but that's not going to help. I feel terror run through my veins. I'm filled with a sense of finality, and I know that everyone's thinking the same thing.

It's over.

Sam

I crawl to the edge of the copter and fire a few return shots, trying to buy myself enough time to glance down below us. We've been travelling over dense wood for at least half an hour by now. We have to be close.

Just ahead, I can finally see a break in the trees. A road snakes through the woods. In the distance, I can actually see sunlight glinting off a car as it races down the highway towards us.

This is it. We're almost there. If we can get to the highway, then Six will see us. She'll come to save us. I know she will.

I will the helicopter to move faster. So close…

Malcolm

I wrestle with the joystick, trying to manoeuvre the helicopter through the hail of bullets being fired at us. Somehow, miraculously, it hasn't been critically damaged yet.

Until I hear the sound I was dreading the most. A terrible screech above the roof of the copter, the screech of metal being torn apart, telling me that the rotors have been shorn clean off.

There's no way I can keep us in the air now.

The helicopter slows down, no longer moving forward. Just for a fraction of a second, I feel us hovering in the air, slowly dipping downwards as gravity tugs at us below, pulling us to our deaths. I look around the copter, taking in the terror on everyone's face, and know it's reflected in my own.

We're doomed.

**Okay, I hope that was not so dramatic that it became cheesy. Like I said, I have a tendency of going overboard with this stuff.  
>Hope you enjoyed it! Next update will be on Monday. Thanks for reading, and please review!<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 12!  
>Wow, 10 reviews since my last update! Thanks so much to all my reviewers! I've hit 80 reviews now, and I'm celebrating like crazy. Thanks to thesecondgarde, charasweet, revenge-is-sweet-98, scone104, Prajnaa, Colemet Milinia, EpicLoric24, Pheobetitanessofthemoon1234, Kiwi and Love on Lockon for reviewing!<br>Okay, just for clarification, I'm inserting Raylan's POV at the top just so that it's clear that everything Ella sees is a lie. Okay?  
>Oh, and at the request of EpicLoric24, one of my most regular reviewers, I'm asking all you guys to tell me in your reviews whether you want Six to end up with Sam or Nine. I was going to do a SamSix, but EpicLoric24 asked me to do a Nix, so… I'm asking for your opinion. Thanks!  
>Wow, that's a long AN. Sorry. Enjoy!**

Raylan

I gather the sleeping girl in my arms, and sighing, I gently place her back into the bed, tucking her comfortably into the sheets.

I step back and appraise her for a moment. Her small face is twisted into an expression of apprehension as the vision takes over her mind, showing her what I want her to see.

I sigh again. It is a pity to have to lie to my own daughter, to use the vision to pull her into a past that never happened, but regrettably, it is necessary. She would never understand my actions if I told her the truth. She would never willingly become my heir.

She would never willingly be my daughter.

I chide myself softly for showing weakness. The vision will bring her to me, make her fight for me. That is enough for now.

I prop myself on to the bed next to her, and wait.

Ella

I stand sightlessly in the darkness, waiting for something to happen. What is going on? Why can I not see anything?

A sudden flash of light rips through the darkness, enveloping everything and blinding me. I squeeze my eyes shut, and slowly, it fades away.

I open my eyes a crack and squint. I am in a gigantic throne room, dazzling and beautiful, with marbled walls and ceiling, and a floor inlaid with jewels. The room is filled with gigantic busts and statues of wise-looking men and women, and I know immediately that I am looking at the Elders.

They recline lazily in their thrones, their faces earnest and wise. They seem kind and generous, and I get the overwhelming urge to throw myself at their feet and seek their blessing.

My father kneels in front of them.

'But, my Lord, I have inherited all my father's Legacies.' he says. 'I am the perfect candidate for the role of the tenth Elder.'

The statement is addressed to the Elder who sits in the central throne. He is built powerfully, and, unlike the others, he sits straight, with a regal air about him. His face is kind and comforting, but his eyes glint with a fire that promises danger to all who oppose him.

Pittacus Lore.

'My apologies, Raylan.' he says, his voice soft but firm and commanding at the same time. 'To my knowledge, you have not inherited _all_ his Legacies.'

My father looks puzzled and is about to protest, but then he stops himself and bows his head. 'Who shall be the tenth, then, my Lord?' he asks.

Pittacus brings clasps his hands together and arches his knuckles, forming a steeple. To my surprise, beneath his confident gaze, I see a hint of worry. And something else, too.

_Fear_.

'No one for now.' he admits finally, a small bead of sweat forming on his brow. The other Elders straighten in surprise at this announcement. 'We have to assume that your father's powers faded out during the Secret Wars. Until we find his successor, there shall be only nine Elders.'

My father grits his teeth in frustration, but bows his head obediently.

'As you wish, my Lord.' he says, and the scene changes.

I'm back in the throne room, but this time, the relaxed atmosphere that was present during their last meeting is gone. The other Elders sit nervously in their thrones, and Pittacus paces anxiously in front of the dais.

My father is facing him once again, but unlike last time, he is standing rather than kneeling. 'My Lord, we Loric are known for our kindness and generosity.' he says. 'It is our reputation that we help those in need, especially friends and allies such as the Mogodorians. Why are you opposed to this scheme?'

'What do you suggest I do, Raylan?' Pittacus asks, throwing up his arms in frustration. 'Do you want me to invite their entire population here just because their planet is dying out? Need I remind you that Lorien is smaller than Mogadore?'

'No, my Lord.' my father replies, struggling to stay calm. 'Just enough so that their species can survive.'

'Most definitely not.' Pittacus replies, his kind face suddenly twisting into an expression of fury and cruelty. The fiery look in his eyes is much more terrifying now, and I realize that- finally- he is revealing his true nature.

'I'm afraid…..' my father begins, when Pittacus stops short, his mind fixed on something far away. Suddenly, he spins around to face my father. He advances on him, his finger pointed accusingly at him. 'I can sense ships.' he snarls. 'They have not been shot at yet. The grid is disabled. You… You have already brought them here.'

His expression turns into a mask of hate, and he raises his hands until a vision forms, a live transmission of what is happening in Lorien right now. He raises his hand, and the other Elders stand up too, imitating his stance.

Pittacus closes his eyes and concentrates. He motions with his right hand, and something loops out of the Mogodorian ship in the sky, barrelling towards the city below. It collides with a building and explodes, causing chunks of debris to rain down on the Loric below.

'What are you doing?' my father asks in horror. 'You're forcing them to attack! You'll destroy the city!'

Pittacus turns to my father, with a manic expression on his face. 'No.' he says, his eyes burning with rage. 'I'll destroy the planet.'

'What?' my father asks incredulously, but Pittacus is already rambling on.

'The Mogodorians would not be satisfied even after they came here.' he spits out. 'They would want a part of our government. They would want to share power!' He turns to glare at my father. 'You think I will ever share power? Especially with _them_? Now Lorien will be destroyed, and the destruction will be blamed on them. When we die, and our successors rise, we shall return, taking over their bodies and reviving this planet. We shall be young again!'

He turns and nods at another of the Elders, who drops his arm and trudges out of the room. 'Loridas has already gone to protect our successors with the charm.' he says, turning to face my father again. 'The moment they inherit all our powers, we will take over their bodies and crush their minds. We will rule Lorien again!' He smirks. 'Don't you realize? This day was always predicted. The day Lorien will be destroyed from the inside.'

'You're insane.' my father says, horrified, backing away from the crazed Elder. Pittacus doesn't seem to notice. He turns back to the illusion, and my father takes advantage of the distraction to race out of the room.

The scene changes, and I'm back at my house. Fires flicker around me, and I recognize the setting. I am back in my earlier vision. I turn, and sure enough, I see Crayton, racing out of the room with the baby, making for the ship my father has hidden.

My mother rounds on my father the moment they have gone. 'I've covered for you long enough.' she hisses. 'I know you caused this, and I won't forgive you for it. You have taken advantage of me because I loved you. No more.'

My father grabs hold of her arm in desperation. 'I am _not_ lying, Erina. You have to believe me! They will kill you! They will kill you if you go there. Please…'

My mother ignores him. She yanks her arm free and strides out of the room. My father follows, still pleading desperately.

The scene changes.

This vision is hazy, flickering. I'm back in the throne room, and Pittacus is holding my mother, the dagger clenched in her hand pressed against her throat.

My father races into the room, and, just for a moment, my mother locks eyes with him. 'I'm sorry.' she tells him quietly. 'I should have trusted you.'

Pittacus grins savagely. 'That's very touching.' he drawls, and suddenly, out of nowhere, his hand snaps, the knife flashing, cutting into my mother's throat.

She collapses on to the floor, her blood trickling across the jewels studding the floor. I stare in horror- it can't be true, what I saw has to be a lie, it has to be….

'No!' my father roars, his voice furious, resounding, filled with sorrow and grief. I blink and fight back the tears that are forming in my eyes, trickling down my cheek. It can't be true….

My father yells again, and this time, the roar is so loud, that it seems to be engulfing me, engulfing everything. My vision hazes more than ever, and I'm completely surrounded now. All that exists is that sound, that horrible sound of my father's grief, his pain, and I can't take it anymore, I have to get out, I have to…..

With a scream, I wake up, my breath hitching as I gulp in air. I scream again the moment my lungs are filled, letting out all the air I sucked in. Tears form thick and fast, blurring my vision, burning my eyes, and I just keep gulping in air and screaming, screaming…..

Strong arms wrap around me, and my father pulls me to his chest, hugging me, stroking my hair to calm me down. Slowly, steadily, my breathing slows, and I stop crying, choking down my sobs and struggling to be calm again.

My father begins to murmur gently into my ear as he hugs me. 'It's alright now, Ella. You needed to understand. Now you do.'

Yes. I do. I understand everything.

'The Elders destroyed Lorien.' he says softly. 'They killed everyone living on the planet, making it seem like the Mogodorians were responsible. They sent your friends to Earth, to train and grow, so that once they were ready, they could take over their bodies. That is why I had to kill them, Ella. The Elders cannot come back. It pains me, but they must not.'

The thought of killing Marina or Nine makes my gut wrench, but I still say nothing. I am afraid that if I open my mouth, I will start crying again.

'I struck a deal with the Mogodorians.' he continues softly. 'We escaped just in the nick of time, and they agreed to help me find the Garde, so that the Elders' evil scheme would never come to life. In return, when I would return to Lorien to revive it, they could come live with me.' He shrugs. 'They agreed willingly. They are a proud species, and they do not like being framed. They became a lot more violent than they needed to. It's all I can do to keep them in control.'

I look up at him, and for the first time since the vision, I speak. 'So my friends need to die?' I ask, my voice thick.

'They need to die.' My father answers gravely. 'Their only other option is a fate much worse than death.'

I sit up straight in my bed, suddenly imagining Marina cackling with evil laughter, Nine's face twisted into the expression Pittacus wore when he killed my mother. A fate worse than death. My stomach tightens as I speak hollowly, not letting him know how much this hurts inside. 'Then I'll help you kill them.'

Six

The car barrels across the highway at record speed, the tires screeching at every turn. Nine drives like a maniac, his foot never releasing the pressure on the accelerator.

'Come on.' he mutters, talking more to himself than to us. 'Come on!'

I stare at him, startled at his outburst. His face is pale and ashen, and instantly, I know something bad has happened. 'What….' I begin.

'There!' Marina yells, leaning out of the window and gesturing at a large helicopter that appears above us. Nine stamps on the brakes, and we tumble out, just in time to see the Mogodorian ships behind it open fire.

With a horrible screech, the rotors are shorn off, and the helicopter dips, slowly beginning its tumble to the ground below. I wait for John to use his telekinesis, to slow down the helicopter, but it only picks up speed. A horrible vision forms in my mind, of all of them lying dead or injured, unable to stop themselves from plummeting to their deaths.

'No!' I yell, as desperation and rage course through me, filling me with energy. I summon all my strength and call on my telekinesis, stopping the chopper from falling. It grinds to a halt, floating mid-air, and I lower it gently to the ground.

For a moment, there's no movement inside, and I'm afraid that they're all already dead, that we were too late, but then, someone stirs and stumbles out through the door, clutching a gun. Sam. Malcolm and Sarah follow, along with a pale-faced person I've never seen before.

If I wasn't distracted, I'd probably have realized that he was a Mog. But I glance around, not really paying attention to them. I'm searching for someone, but he's nowhere to be seen.

'Where's John?' I ask.

**Wow, that was a bad chapter. I'm really slipping. I promise the next one will be better, and it'll be here by tomorrow, in return for giving you such an awful one after three whole days.  
>Just to be clear again, Raylan's POV was inserted so that you know that everything Ell saw was a lie. I repeat, everything Ella saw was a lie. I hope you're reading this, because it's really important.<br>Don't forget to vote in your reviews about who Six ends up with! Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! The promised update is here! Chapter 13!  
>Okay, the results of the voting are- 7 reviews voting for SamSix, and 4 reviews and 1 PM for Nix. Looks like it's going to be a Sam/Six story. Hope I don't lose any readers because of that! That's what I'm really terrified of.  
>Okay, just one problem. Since you guys have voted for a SamSix, I really have no one to pair Nine with. I'm going to be needing suggestions, since if I can't think of anything, it will end up being a Nix story. You also need to decide before the next chapter, because they've already re-united in this one.  
>So please suggest a pairing for Nine via reviews or PMs! And please, I'm begging you, no one ask me to pair him with Marina! That's never going to happen! (Sorry, I get a little defensive of MarinaEight).  
>Okay, enough jibber-jabber. Chapter 13! Enjoy!<strong>

Ella

My father leads me through the passageways of the Mogodorian base, turning into seemingly random corridors and tunnels, until I'm well and truly lost. He's taken the form of Setrakus Ra, so he's much taller than I am, and when he strides, I have to jog to keep up with him. I try not to fall behind. I have the feeling that if I do, I will be wandering these corridors forever.

My father glances back at me and chuckles at the expression on my face. 'This Ashwood Estates, the largest Mogodorian base on Earth.' he says, spreading out his arms. 'A good portion of it was destroyed recently, but it has already been rebuilt and upgraded. Like it?'

I open my mouth to answer, but then we walk into the training room, and my voice abandons me.

It's _gigantic_. It's at least three times the size of Nine's penthouse itself, and it's designed pretty much the same way as the Lecture Hall- an empty white expanse, with a panel built into the side wall, looking in from the control room.

Only it's not empty. Ball bearings swish randomly across and disappear into slits opening out in the walls, re-emerging randomly through another slit somewhere moments after. Panels slide open in the walls, exposing crossbows and machine guns that disappear immediately after firing. Jets of flame erupt from the floor every now and then, and best of all, cracks open out in the floor, swallowing anyone who's caught unaware.

My father gives me a reassuring glance. 'Don't worry, Ella. They're all designed to be extremely painful if they strike, but none of them will cause a fatality.'

I raise my foot to step into the room, but my father grabs hold of my shoulder to stop me. 'Not yet, Ella.' he says. 'First, you need to be able to revert to your true age.'

I blink in confusion. 'This is my true age.' I say. 'I'm twelve.'

My father grins with delight. 'No, you're not.' he says. 'You are fifteen years old.'

'How…..' I begin, but my father interrupts me to explain.

'I was worried about you, Ella, when I sent you to Earth.' he says. 'You are my successor, the heir to the position of the tenth Elder. Your powers are considerable. If you got your Legacies at the same time as the rest of the Garde, you would draw attention. They would know all your strengths, your weaknesses, and they would be able to use them against you. So I placed a charm on you too, to restrict your Aeternus to three years below your true age.'

'You mean…..' I ask.

'Yes.' he replies, a satisfied expression on his face. 'Now, when I lift the charm, you will revert to your true age. You will possess all the Legacies you should have received by now. And you will be able to control them just as well too.'

'Then why don't I take on a form even older than that?' I ask. 'Then I would have all my Legacies already.'

My father kneels down next to me. I do my best not to recoil. Just because I know what he really looks like, doesn't mean I can't smell his putrid breath in this form.

'Shifting ages is no easy task, Ella.' he says. 'You already know that. It takes energy. Your Legacies are already so restrained because all this while, you have been in a form that does not belong to you. When I lift the charm, you will understand what I mean.'

I shift my weight restlessly from one foot to another. When my father lifts the charm, I will grow. I will become more powerful, gain more Legacies in a matter of moments. My energy will be restored too, energy which I have lost because my Aeternus has kept me locked in a different age. I will be able to do so much more than I imagined I could.

I remember everything that has happened to get me here, and my resolve falters. Marina looking after me in Santa Teresa, protecting me from the other girls, accepting me as her partner, her sister. Six saving my life, both during the battle in Spain and in India. Eight teleporting us out of trouble from the cave. Nine, helping me get over Crayton's death, joking around, trying to make me feel better. If I do this, I will have to kill them all. I will have to kill them in cold blood.

But what is the alternative? I remember the neutral expressions of the Elders as they destroyed Lorien, the cruel grin on Pittacus's face as he killed my mother. I imagine them taking over my friend's bodies, forcing them to watch as they do the same for every family on Earth. I can't let that happen. I steel myself and speak before my resolve can waver again.

'Do it.' I say.

John

Time seems to slow down.

In that moment, I'm painfully aware of everything- the grass tickling my bare neck, the swaying leaves of the trees above me, the prickling pain in my chest because of my crushed ribs, and the savage grin of the General as his sword arcs down towards my heart.

Then there's a scuffling sound in the background, and time speeds up again.

What seems like a black wall slams into the General, making him lose balance and topple to the ground. His sword-hand jerks, and the blade misses me by inches, clattering to the ground next to my shoulder. I'm alive. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, the black wall seems to come to a halt and land on my shattered ribs. Pain explodes through me, and my consciousness is sucked away so fast, it probably gets whiplash on the way out.

Everything goes black.

Ella

'The first thing I need to teach you,' my father tells me, 'is how to create an illusion.'

We're standing in the centre of the training room, and all the activity has stopped. My father says there will be enough time for combat training once I've mastered my Legacies.

I still can't believe how much I've changed since my father lifted the charm. Sure, I look different too- I'm much taller, though still just as thin, and my hair is long and flowing, my face thin and serious. But the biggest difference is the power I feel within me, coursing through me like adrenaline. I didn't realize how _tired_ I had gotten from holding my twelve-year old form for so long. Now, suddenly, I'm full of energy, like I can do anything.

My Legacies have arrived too. The moment my father lifted the charm, the lights in the room all went haywire, changing colour from blue to green to magenta. The panels in the room cracked, and I began to grow in size, until I had taken on a form similar to his- that of Setrakus Ra. Light manipulation, telekinesis and shape-shifting, all three of them together. I don't have his regeneration Legacy yet, but he tells me not to worry. That will be my master Legacy. It will come soon enough.

Now I'm back in my fifteen year old form, and my father is giving me Legacy training. I'm a little uncertain that I can control so many new ones together, but my father keeps assuring me that I will be fine.

'Illusions are a combination of your telepathy and your light manipulation skills.' my father begins, and I force myself to pay attention. 'With your photokinesis, you can create false images, and you can use your telepathy to sense your opponent's reaction and modify them to make them more believable. Observe.'

He raises his hands, and suddenly I'm not in the training room any more. I'm falling out of the sky, far above a city, tumbling to the ground below. I keep picking up speed, the ground getting closer and closer. Just before I crash to my death, the city disappears, and I'm back in the training room, still frozen in fear, convinced that I'm about to die.

'Incredible.' I breathe, slowly recovering from the shock. My father smiles at the compliment.

'Now your turn.' he says.

For the next couple of hours, we train, practising different Legacies until I can use them at will. I practise my telekinesis, deflecting the arrows fired at me by crossbows, and my shape-shifting, trying to maintain my form while my father fires painful but non-lethal ammunition at me from his gun. I get better at creating illusions too, although as much as I try, I can't fool my father. Even so, I can sense myself growing stronger, and I'm proud of my progress in such little time.

Finally, we arrive at the Legacy I used against him during the battle in Dulce.

'The Legacy is called Disruption.' my father says, when I ask him about it. 'And there are just three things I truly know about it, even though I possess it myself.'

'Like what?' I ask, urging him to answer.

My father's grin is one of satisfaction. 'Firstly, this Legacy is confined to our family. Apart from the two of us, and our descendants, no one does or will possess it.'

My mouth sags open with shock. 'I thought that Pittacus had all the Legacies.' I say.

My father sighs. His grin disappears, and he holds his hands to his head, like he doesn't understand it either. 'I don't know, Ella. My theory is that some Legacies, such as Sight, the advanced version of Precognition, or even this one, the ability to disrupt others' Legacies, are so rare, that even though they are technically Legacies, they have ceased to be considered so. In that context, Pittacus most definitely has all the Legacies. But I can tell you for sure that _this_ Legacy is confined only to the tenth Elder and his successors.'

'You said that you know three things about it, Dad.' I say quietly, trying to hide how much my head is spinning, how stunned I am at this discovery.

My father's face brightens again. 'Yes.' he says. 'The second thing about this Legacy, is that it will be several decades before you can control it well enough to take away even _one_ of the Garde's Legacies. I took me almost half a century to master it myself, and even so, it requires a lot of energy and concentration.'

'But I managed to disrupt your Legacy in Dulce!' I protest. 'How did I use it then?'

'That is the third thing I can tell you about it.' my father says. 'Those Legacies, such as Sight or Disruption, that have become so rare that they are not even considered Legacies anymore, that even Pittacus doesn't possess- they are the easiest to take away using your Disruption Legacy. That is the only reason you succeeded.'

I deflate. This Legacy is one of my most powerful ones, but I will not be able to use it until well after the war is over. My father senses this, and places his hand reassuringly on my shoulder.

'Something to make you feel better.' he says, trying to brighten my mood. 'You're ready.'

I light up. I know what's coming next.

'Combat training.' I say.

John

When I regain consciousness, I'm not sure whether I've been out for a few seconds, or an hour.

My vision is still fuzzy, but I can now see that what I'd thought to be a black wall was actually BK in the form of a bear. His fur is shredded and his arms are twisted at awkward angles, and he's staggering unsteadily on two legs as he blocks the General's path to me, but I know that he saved my life.

Or maybe he just delayed my death. I'm beginning to realize that a badly injured Chimaera isn't going to hold someone like the General for long.

I groan and lift my arm, pressing my hand to my chest to heal my ribs. The icy energy flows through me, and I sigh in relief as the bones begin to knit together.

Bad idea.

BK glances over on seeing me awake, and the General sees his chance. He's dropped his sword, but he takes advantage of the distraction to slam into BK, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

I have maybe five seconds before he's standing again. BK, on the other hand, is in no condition to move, let alone fight someone like the General. And there's something else too- a soft, rhythmic thud… Very much like the marching of feet.

Mogs. Lots of them.

I furrow my eyebrows with concentration, and the icy feeling increases, my bones assembling themselves faster than ever. I stagger to my feet, stumbling over the rough ground, my palm still pressed against my chest.

The last fragments reattach themselves, and I feel the pain disappear just as the General rises and advances towards me.

My hands light up with my Lumen, but it's too late. The General's hand snaps forward, his fingers closing around my trachea. He lifts me effortlessly off the ground, his grip tightening, slowly strangling me.

The fire in my hands fizzles out, and my vision tunnels as I gasp for air. I can hear the thudding getting louder as the Mogs advance, slowly getting closer to our position. Hazily, I see BK try to drag himself towards me, then collapse again.

But that's not all. I hear something… Like voices, screaming, calling out my name.

'Nine!' I rasp, as loudly as I can through the General's choking grip. 'Six! I'm here!'

The General's eyes widen. 'The other Garde.' he murmurs. 'A golden opportunity.' I feel something brush against my thigh, but I barely notice. I'm a lot more focused on the General's relentless grip. To my surprise, it suddenly slackens, and then he relinquishes his hold on my neck, dropping me to the ground and turning to run into the forest, from where the thud is sounding out, from where I know the Mogs are coming.

I fall to the ground, clutching my neck, coughing desperately, trying to get air through it. Moments later, Nine and Marina emerge from the forest, running to me, closely followed by Six and the others.

I stand up before they reach me, raising my palms to indicate that I am fine. Marina stops, nods once, and rushes to BK to heal his wounds. Nine grins at me, relieved that I'm alive, and flicks his hand. My bracelet zooms towards me from where it was lying on the ground.

A small part of me wonders how he knew it was there.

'How did you find me?' I ask, as I catch the bracelet.

Sarah finally appears as I slip on the bracelet, and I'm about to turn to run to her, to ask her if she's fine, when the first line of Mogs appear into the clearing.

Since they have arrived, since we have been reunited, we have spoken a word yet. We don't have to. We know each other too well by now. Simultaneously, wordlessly, as one, we turn to face the enemy.

Nine is the first one to break this silence.

'Let's begin.'

**Not my best effort, but I wrote it in a hurry. Hope you enjoyed! Please review, and don't forget to suggest a pairing for Nine!  
>Thanks for reading!<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! Good to see you again! At least, most of you.  
>This is the first time since coming to fanfiction that I'm a little annoyed. I had a lot of guest reviews just a short while back, and I'll admit I got a <strong>_**bit**_** irritated. I have nothing against Nix, and if that's what most of you want, then that's what I'll do, and I'll even make sure to do my absolute best not to make them OOC and yet go well together, and so on. But what I don't appreciate, is late voters, making me change the story at the last minute. I **_**will**_** accept the late votes this time, and I **_**will**_** change the story to Nix, but next time, please be nice. I'm writing this story for you guys, and there's nothing that I would like more than your support.  
>Sorry about the rant. I apologize. Now on to the celebrations.<br>100 reviews! Thanks so much to all those who reviewed to help me cross it. I never thought I would get this far, but I have and it's all thanks to you guys. Special thanks to thesecondgarde, scone104, EpicLoric24, Colemet Milinia, and of course, Prajnaa, for reviewing practically all my chapters! I love you guys!  
>This chapter is dedicated to Prajnaa, because she was my 100<strong>**th**** reviewer. This is the last you'll hear from Ella in a while. Enjoy!**

Ella

'Why don't we just tell them the truth?' I ask. Marina's face flashes into my mind again before I will it away.

I can't stop thinking about the fact that I will have to kill my friends, the ones who took me in and kept me safe. I keep trying to distract myself, but I can't get Marina's sisterly smile, or Eight's goofy grin, or Nine's arrogant smirk out of my head. Even during combat training, every time I duck out of the way, or deflect a projectile with telekinesis, or land a blow on my father while sparring, I imagine them looking at me with pride, congratulating me on my progress, and my resolve almost shatters again.

Even though I try not to, my mind keeps combing for excuses, any way out of this nightmare that I'm in. This question is just the latest.

My father sighs. 'I've already considered that, Ella.' he tells me patiently. 'The Elders did their job well. Anyone who didn't know what happened would automatically believe that the Mogodorians were invading, who, incidentally, did _not_ help by torturing the Garde and their Cepans against my orders.'

How true. The Mogodorians may not have destroyed Lorien, but that doesn't mean that they aren't cruel and bloodthirsty. We need their help now, but I'm determined that the moment the war ends, I will personally make an example of each and every bully among them.

'We were lucky enough to be able to convince Number Five.' my father says, turning away.

Now it's my turn to frown. I had completely forgotten about the vision which my father showed me, warning me that Five was a traitor.

'How did you manage that?' I ask uneasily. Even though I understand why Five betrayed us- betrayed _them_, I remind myself- I still don't feel completely certain about him. He deceived everyone too easily.

'We found him when he was young.' my father says almost absently. 'His Cepan had just died, and he was afraid and alone. I took him in and told him the truth. After a lot of work, he believed me.'

Something else occurs to me. The mission in the Everglades- the one to retrieve Five's chest- that was probably a trap. 'He led them there on purpose, didn't he?' I ask, remembering his suspicious behaviour. 'It was all a trap.'

'Yes.' my father agrees. 'Speaking of which, I almost forgot. He reported back to me yesterday with the good news. He successfully killed one of the Garde. Number Eight.'

The words hit me like a sledgehammer. 'Eight is….. dead?' I ask, struggling to keep my voice even. I don't know why, but I never imagined that one of them could already have been killed. I didn't think that I would never get the chance to apologize to them, to beg for forgiveness.

The reality of what I'm doing hits me. I remember Eight teleporting us out of trouble in India, Eight joking around after new Mexico, Eight laughing and flirting with Marina, Eight hugging me after I read Crayton's letter, Eight grinning goofily, making us all laugh… He's gone. Murdered by his own kind. And I have to do the same for the others. For all my other friends.

I want to scream with frustration. This isn't _fair_. In that moment, I hate the Elders with every fibre of my being, not just for all they have done, but for all they are making me do. Marina, Nine, _Eight_- they all should have had their entire lives to look forward to. But out of greed, they've stolen it all away from them.

How am I supposed to kill them? How can I tear their life away from them?

'Are you alright, Ella?' my father asks.

I swallow the lump in my throat and choke out the words.

'Yeah, I just need some sleep.' I mumble.

I run out of the room before he can stop me.

Nine

The ground ripples under my feet, and I almost topple over. The Mogodorian in front of me isn't so lucky, and he goes sprawling on the ground, trying to scramble to his feet, before I snap his neck and put him out of his misery.

I brush the ash off my arms and glance back in surprise. I know that the Mogodorian standing next to Sam caused the earthquake. I try to recall the name Malcolm told me….. Adam. Looks like he isn't as useless as I thought.

The battle starts getting monotonous. Duck, punch, shove, jump…I zone out, kneeing the Mog in front of me in the stomach almost absently, using my new Legacy to assess the battle. John has set himself on fire and is rapidly burning through the Mogs. Marina is using her new ice-Legacy, cutting through the battalion almost as fast as me. The humans have taken cover and are firing incessantly at any strays, and I can even sense Six, invisible, summoning her storm, waiting for the moment to finish them off.

I can also sense the Mogs, sneaking up on her from behind like they know where she is.

I frown as I grab a Mog by the neck, crushing his throat, ignoring his wild swing at my head. I focus on the Mogs creeping up on Six, and then I sense the devices strapped on to their arms.

Infrared scanners connected to a camera feed. Designed specifically to locate someone invisible, someone hidden to the naked eye, someone deadly.

Designed to locate Six.

In a flash, the Mogs facing me are ash, and I'm turning to yell a warning, turning to tell Six about the impending danger. A sense of déjà vu rushes through me, and I remember Six doing the same for me when my Legacy arrived back in West Virginia.

'Six, watch out!' I scream.

I'm too late. I can just sense her turning to me in surprise before the knife plunges into her back.

Five

I walk nervously through the corridors of the base underneath Ashwood Estates, wondering why Raylan has summoned me in the middle of the night. I wonder briefly if he somehow discovered that I was the one who helped Marina escape.

The very thought of the Beloved Leader makes me shiver. My admiration for him seems to have completely disappeared since my run-in with Marina, leaving behind what I strongly suspect is disgust.

'Number Five.'

I hear his voice and turn around, trying not to shudder. He has taken the form of Setrakus Ra, and he towers above me, his eyes almost glowing in the darkness. I struggle not to recoil, reminding myself that he is a telepath. If I make him even the slightest bit suspicious, he'll examine my thoughts and have me executed for treachery.

Thankfully, he doesn't seem to notice. 'You must be wondering why I have requested your presence at this time of the night.' he says, his voice crisp.

I bow. 'Yes, my Lord.' I say, trying to keep my voice sincere.

'To answer your question, I have just finished combat training for the day with my daughter.' he says.

'How has she reacted?' I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.

'Surprisingly well.' he tells me. His voice sounds disapproving, but I know that he is willing to let the question slide this time. 'She hasn't even thought of using her telepathy to confirm if I was telling the truth.' He touches my shoulder, indicating that I can look up again. 'Follow me.' he commands.

He strides down the corridor, and I jog to keep up with him, trying to figure out where he is taking me. We seem to be descending even deeper into the compound, down staircases, through hallways, up corridors, until we finally arrive at a row of prison cells that I have never seen before.

He pauses in front of an interrogation room and remains silent for a moment, peering through the one-way glass. I follow his gaze. Sitting Indian-style, with his skin bruised and chafed in a multitude of places, and his hands bound with unbreakable, Legacy-negating manacles, is an old man with long grey hair.

I remain silent. I know that Raylan will speak when he is ready. But at the same time, I can't help feeling a surge of pity for this man, whoever he is, and disgust, that Raylan has stooped to a new low by beating up old wrinkled humans.

'This is Devdan.' Raylan says finally, looking up from the glass at me. 'He was Number Eight's mentor in India. The Mogodorians had captured him, and were holding him as bait in the hope that Number Eight would eventually try to rescue him.'

I try to speak evenly, neutrally, struggling to keep the horror from creeping into my voice. 'Why are you wasting your time on him now?' I ask. 'Number Eight is dead.'

"_I killed him."_ I add silently.

'I originally planned to have him executed.' Raylan says, turning back to peer in through the glass. Devdan stares serenely back like he knows he's there. 'But, you see, I hadn't met him until yesterday. And it was only then that I realized that he's Loric.'

I blink in confusion. 'I'm sorry?' I ask. 'He's _Loric_?'

'Yes.' Raylan replies calmly. 'He has Sight.'

I suck in a breath. Sight is the advanced version of Precognition- the ability to see the future instead of just catching the occasional glimpses. It's incredibly rare and powerful. I open my mouth to speak, but Raylan waves at me to be silent and continues.

'He has telepathy too, and it's unbelievably powerful.' he says. 'Even with those manacles causing him pain and my Disruption shutting it off, he can still hold his own. The best I can get out of him is that he knows the key to defeating me. Some relic or artefact or something. And he says that he'll only talk to Number Eight.'

I resist the urge to yell with frustration. 'Why do you bother, then?' I ask. 'Eight is dead. He can't exactly tell him anything, and even if he could, Eight can't tell the Garde.'

Raylan shakes his head. 'Loric dreams are powerful, Five. Sometimes they can even enable you to communicate with the dead.' I nod, remembering Marina telling me that she had just had a vision of Eight. 'I won't take that chance. You're one of the Garde. He may talk to you. See if you can get it out of him. You know the rewards.'

I nod again, trying my best to look excited. 'I'll do my best.' I say.

Then I open the door and step into the interrogation room.

And then the lights flicker and go off.

**That was difficult. Thanks for reading! Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! I'm finally back!  
>Sorry I took so long, but I've been really busy. My exams are starting <strong>_**really**_** soon, and my schedule has gone absolutely crazy. Until the end of March, my updates are going to be sporadic, erratic, and after seriously random intervals. They may be after two days or two weeks. No promises. But by March end, I will definitely start updating regularly again.  
>Haha, no, Six is not dead. I obviously wouldn't hold a poll to ask who she ends up with and kill her immediately after. She just got stabbed.<br>I can't believe how many reviewers I'm getting these days. You guys seriously make my day. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Reading through all of them seems to always get a smile on my face.  
>This chapter is dedicated to thesecondgarde (haven't you got a dedication already? :P), whose stories, by the way, you totally have to check out. 'The Second Chance' was one of the stories that inspired me to writing fanfics.<br>Okay, I'll stop blabbering now. Chapter 15!**

Marina

It feels like the Everglades all over again.

The knife plunges into Six's back, and suddenly I'm back in the Everglades, watching Five's sword go through Eight's heart. I feel the same desperation, the same guilt I felt back there. I'm still the same. Useless. Pathetic. Weak. Helpless. Powerless to stop my friend from dying, powerless to do anything but watch.

_Again_.

And then there's the same rage that courses through me, fury which bursts free like a river breaking through a dam, consuming me until I am unstoppable.

I feel the temperature drop rapidly, my breath misting in front of me, the ice building up in my fingertips, and I let it out with a scream. The Mogodorian warriors don't stand a chance. The ice encases them instantly, freezing them to death right where they stand, leaving my friends untouched. I feel the rage still churning within me, the urge to _hurt_ them, and I do, making a squeezing motion with my hands, until the ice shatters, leaving behind nothing but ash.

I can sense everyone staring at me with a mix of horror, admiration and shock, but I don't care. I run to Six's side, and gently press my hands to her back. The knife juts out from behind, and a gentle rise and fall indicates that she's still breathing, that I don't have a scar yet, but she's almost gone. I frantically myself to heal her, for her wound to close and the knife to be ejected out, but I can't. I can't even save my best friend.

Tears begin to form in my eyes, and before I can stop them, images, visions, _memories_ of Eight start to flicker through my mind. His laugh, his goofy smile, his curls, his bright green eyes, glinting with amusement, somehow seeming to make everyone feel better. I miss him _so_ much. Just because I don't want to die doesn't mean I don't want to see him again, just because I don't show it doesn't mean I don't need him by my side. If Six hadn't been there, guiding me through his death, I would have gone insane. And I know if I don't save her, that is exactly what will happen.

My heartbeat slows, my breathing eases, the cloud fades away from my mind. Calmly, carefully, I will the power out of me, and slowly, Six's wound begins to close.

I let out a sigh of relief. I have found my trigger, my trick for keeping my cool, keeping calm and relaxed. Thinking of Eight leaves me sad, sure, but it also expels my panic, leaves me feeling serene and peaceful. Like a pool of tears.

Even in death, he is my solace.

Nine

I can't breathe.

The temperature drops as Marina lets out an ear-splitting scream, and suddenly all the Mogodorians are frozen, crumbling, shattering, dead, which is probably good, because I still can't breathe.

'_She isn't dead_.' the small part of me that is not panicking whispers.

It's true. She isn't. I don't have a scar on my ankle yet. But she will be. And it will be my fault. My fault I didn't warn her on time. My fault I didn't figure out how they were tracking her. My fault I didn't sense it earlier. My fault.

It feels as though the weight of the entire world just came crashing down on me. Everything that has gone wrong, everyone that I have lost, has been my fault. And there's nothing I can do to undo it.

Sandor. I got myself captured, like the idiot I was. He got caught because he came after me. Came looking for me. Because he loved me. Now he's dead. My fault.

Eight. Just when he had convinced Five, when he had calmed him down, I riled him up again. When I had no way of defending myself. Eight sacrificed himself for me. My fault.

And Six. I didn't figure out what the Mogodorians had planned, didn't sense them until it was too late. When I did, I couldn't even warn her on time. Now she's dying. My fault.

I remember my arguments with Johnny back when it was just the two of us, when he asked me what I truly cared for, when he accused me of having no one that I would die for. _I would die for anyone or anything Loric_. That's what I told him.

_Good job living up to that, Nine_.

I watch as Marina frantically presses her hands to Six's back, but nothing happens. Nobody stirs. I doubt anyone can comprehend what's going on right now.

She has to heal, right? She can't die. She can't.

Marina tries again, and this time the wound begins to close. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Her face relaxes as her skin repairs itself, and the knife is expelled from her body.

Her eyes snap open, and I can already see the resolve in there, the determination to ignore and hide her pain. I'm suddenly struck by how similar we are, how much I understand her, and for the first time since Sandor's death, I feel the barriers I put up retract, for a little while at least.

'Nine?' she croaks. With a start, I realize that I'm kneeling next to her. I don't even remember walking towards her.

I look in her eyes again, and it's only now that I realize that I _do_ care about her. Everything that has happened since the Everglades has brought us closer than I thought. I suddenly feel like the boy I was before Sandor's death, when I had first met Maddy. Like maybe I can have a life.

So I lean down, and press my lips to hers.

Five

'What are you doing?' I ask.

'The lights flicker back on momentarily, and in that instant, I see Devdan staring calmly at me. Then, with a buzz, they go off again.

He doesn't open his mouth, doesn't speak, but suddenly I feel his voice in my mind, clear as a bell. '_Setting up barriers in your mind._' his voice resonates. '_We wouldn't want Raylan to know what you are thinking now, would we? This barrier will hide your true emotions and send false signals to anyone who checks._'

'If you're trying to make me feel uncomfortable, then that's a pathetic attempt.' I say blandly. '_Thanks._' I add fervently in my mind, hoping that Raylan cannot hear me.

The lights flicker on again. 'As you wish, my boy.' Devdan says calmly, and I get the impression that he's giving me a mental wink. 'Down to business then.'

This is it. This is my chance. I find out this, and Raylan will give me whatever I want. I won't have to be part of his campaign anymore. This guilt that I have been feeling recently won't plague me.

Or will it? I remember my guilt when Marina hurled insults at me, the relief I felt when she told me she forgave me, the disgust I felt when I realized what Raylan has been doing, what I have been a part of. If I find out what the relic is, maybe I can do something to make up for everything wrong that I have done, everything bad that I have caused. Marina may have forgiven me, but maybe I will finally be able to forgive myself.

'I need to know what you know about the artefact that will be responsible for Raylan's demise.' I say bluntly.

Devdan smiles infuriatingly. 'That information is reserved for Naveen.' he says.

'You can't talk to Naveen.' I tell him, my voice almost cracking at the end. 'He's dead.'

Devdan smiles again. 'I know.' he says simply. 'But I only speak to Naveen.'

I have to stop myself from slamming the table with frustration. 'Don't you get it? You can't talk to him. He's dead.' My voice does crack now. 'I saw it. I killed him.' I lean back, exhale, my anger slowly draining away. 'I'm one of the Garde. You need to tell me.'

'I understand why you're disappointed.' Devdan says, with what I could have sworn was a smirk flickering across his face. 'Who wouldn't want the rewards that the Beloved Leader could give you?'

I freeze. I know that's not what he means. He knows what I've been thinking right now.

'_You could do it, you know._' his voice echoes in my mind. '_You don't need this information to right your wrongs. You just need yourself._'

I could do it. I could escape, find the Garde again. I could fight.

But why would they trust me? I killed one of their own. _Our_ own. I need something else, something to convince them that I'm telling them the truth, something important that I can use to gain their trust. I need this information.

I decide on reverse psychology. 'I think you're lying.' I say. 'Nothing can kill Raylan. I know. I've seen it. His Regeneration Legacy is too powerful.'

This, at least, is true. I _have_ seen his Regeneration heal impossible wounds, fatal wounds. It's his theory that his Disruption Legacy not only allows him to disable others' legacies, it also allows him to control his own. Which means that even when he should be unconscious, even when he should be _dead_, his body still heals.

'His Regeneration _is_ too powerful.' Devdan agrees, surprising me. 'Because of it, he can't die.'

'The how do you plan to kill him?' I ask, annoyed.

To my surprise, Devdan grins lazily. 'Just because he is always saved, does not mean he can never die.' He leans forward and smirks. 'And reverse psychology never works.' he whispers.

Adam

We all troop towards the minivan which Nine and the others had "borrowed" to find us. Luckily, the Mogodorians don't seem to be back yet. Even so, I know we don't have the time to hang around. My father _will_ bring reinforcements, and the next time, I doubt we'll be as lucky as to escape him. I know him too well.

'Where are we going?' John asks, as we approach the edge of the forest.

'To find Ella.' Marina says fiercely. I look at her in surprise.

'How did you know?' Sam asks. 'Never mind, we can talk later in the van. Last we checked, she was in Washington D.C., but even if she's been moved, we have the tablet…..'

'No.' I interrupt, surprising everyone. 'We can't go there yet.'

'What do you mean?' Nine glares at me. 'We have to rescue her, she's just…'

'I didn't mean we don't rescue her.' I say hastily. 'I just meant that we pick up something on the way, something that will give us an advantage.' I pause to make sure I have all their attention. 'I know where the Chimaera are.'

**Wow, this chapter is **_**way**_** too rushed. Sorry. This is the best I can put up, since exams are starting really soon. I'll try my best to update often, but no promises.  
>There. Nix. Hope you guys are happy now. I hope that I didn't make Nine too OOC, though. I needed him to be a bit emotional for this to work.<br>Okay, that's all. Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! I'm finally back! Math exam is over and now I have Tuesday off!  
>Wow! That was a lot of reviews! Thanks so much for all of them! I love you guys! I wish I could answer each and every one of them individually, but there's too many.<br>In response to the review from Guest, Loridas is not Ella's father. Read Crayton's letter in The Fall of Five.  
>Sorry, it's been ten days since my previous update! I should have updated sooner. The problem is that even when I take breaks from studying, I feel too exhausted to make the effort of writing. I just sit and catch up on the fanfics I'm following instead. But that's no excuse. I promise next update will be on Wednesday to make up for it!<br>Okay, I'm surprised that no one commented earlier on the fact that the General just let John go. I mean, he's a Loric murdering maniac. This chapter is dedicated to Zack619, who was the only one who got suspicious, and in this chapter, you'll find out exactly why that happened (finally! I've been promising to tell you for the last three chapters now :D)  
>Okay, here goes! Chapter 16!<strong>

Adam

The others listen silently as I narrate everything to them, right from the beginning- the experiment, being hooked up to One's mind, Two and Three's deaths, One's disappearance, my new Legacy, meeting Malcolm, our rescue of Sam, and finally, how I met Rex and Dust, and my rescue of the Chimaera.

Throughout the story, I keep my eyes trained on the ground, glancing only momentarily around me to assess their reaction. Marina, Nine and Six's faces are inscrutable, and John and Sam are staring at me, an unreadable expression on their faces. Worst of all is Malcolm. He's looking at me like he doesn't know me, like he's never met me before.

'I didn't know what to do with them.' I conclude. 'They seemed so…. unstable after the experiments, changing shape constantly. I didn't want to drag them straight into a battle after what they had been through.'

There's complete silence in the forest for a moment, and I suddenly realize that we have already been standing here too long. We need to get moving before the Mogodorians come back.

Finally, Nine breaks the spell. 'What _did_ you do with them?' he asks, his voice emotionless.

I look him in the eye. 'I took them to Paradise.'

Sam splutters. 'You did what?' he chokes out with surprise.

I turn to Malcolm. 'I hid them in the sundial you showed me, remember? The one where we stayed the night before going to rescue Sam?' I start ranting now. 'Don't worry, I took precautions. No one saw me, and Dust is with them. He's taking care of them until I get there, and he's going to get them food and water while they're there, and….'

John cuts me off. 'Dude, you're awesome.' he says.

I blink. 'I'm what now?' I ask, startled. I look around, and I realize that the Garde aren't staring at me with distrust or loathing. Their eyes are shining, even Nine's. I feel my stomach settle a bit. Maybe they _will_ accept me, after all.

'We aren't angry, you idiot.' Sam says. 'You probably just turned the tide of the war!'

'Just one thing, though.' Malcolm adds. 'Why didn't you tell us earlier?'

I cross my arms. 'You had just found out that one of the Garde was a traitor, another one was dead, and the others may have been captured.' I point out. 'Apart from the fact that you did _not_ need another thing to worry about, you would probably have thought it was a trap.'

'I still haven't ruled that out.' Nine says blandly. He catches everyone staring at him. 'What?' he asks defensively. 'I've been betrayed twice already by someone I thought I could trust. I'm not making the same mistake again.'

This sobers everyone up. Six eyes me suspiciously.

'How did you know Marina was captured, anyway?' she asks.

I glance at John and Sam. 'How did you find us up in that helicopter, anyway?' I shoot back.

'I got a new Legacy.' Nine begins boasting. 'It's called Awareness, and it tells me everything that's going on within a five-mile radius. It's really cool, see. It….'

'Later.' John cuts in, though he looks intrigued. 'We'll finish exchanging stories in the car. If we all fit inside it.' He pauses. 'You _do_ have a car, right?'

Marina manages a weary smile. 'Yeah, we have a van….. thing.'

'We weren't anticipating an extra passenger.' Six points out, gesturing at me. 'Not that I'm complaining, of course.' she adds hastily.

'Let's hope that by the end of this trip, we have five more.' John says.

'Six more.' Marina corrects. 'Don't forget Ella.'

'We'll get her out once we've got the Chimaera.' John says grimly. 'We have to.'

Sam

I should be feeling jealous.

I mean, I just saw Nine kiss Six. And I saw her kiss him back. I should have been jealous, or angry, or annoyed. But all I felt was vaguely upset, like I'd expected it all along.

My father sidles into the driver's seat, and Adam calls shotgun, so the rest of us pile into the back. I'm about to step in when I see Six walking stiffly towards me, with Nine and Marina behind her, ready to support her in case she stumbles.

I narrow my eyes. She's still in pain. I know her well enough to be certain of that. But I also know that she won't accept any help.

She stops in front of me and mutters something to Nine. He nods, and climbs into the van with Marina.

I expect her to apologize, or explain, or something, but instead she just hugs me. I'm taken aback for a moment, but then I hug her back.

'That was for almost dying.' she tells me, as she steps back. I grin.

'So I've been upgraded?' I tease her. She shakes her head exasperatedly, but I see a grin flicker on to her face before disappearing.

'Look, Sam….' she begins awkwardly, but I cut in.

'I get it.' I tell her. 'And it's fine.'

I didn't realize it until I said it, but I _am_ fine with it. And I'm pretty sure that she's almost as surprised as I am when she deduces that I mean it.

'It is?' she asks hesitantly. 'Listen, Sam, you're a great guy, but Nine-'

'Gets you.' I complete. 'And _you_ understand him.'

She blinks. 'What do you mean?' she asks, confused.

'I mean, you're both badass, and you've both had your Cepans killed in front of your eyes, and you've both spent a year in West Virginia, and…. What?'

Six gives me a weird look. 'Sam, when did you make the transition from science nerd to professional psychologist?' she asks.

My cheeks burn with embarrassment. 'No! I mean…. Not…. Argh! Forget it.' Six smirks. I desperately try to change the topic. 'Anyway, as I was saying, I guess I expected it. I mean, you're Loric and I'm just a human with….'

Six's smirk disappears. She stares at me. 'Are you kidding?' she demands. 'You mean to say that you haven't figured out yet exactly how many times you've saved our lives?'

I stare at her. Of all the things I was expecting, a compliment wasn't one of them. 'You're a great guy, Sam.' she says. 'Don't put yourself down.'

I grin at her, and she smiles back. It's a genuine smile, like she's glad that after everything that's happened, she's glad she hasn't lost her friend.

I sure am glad I haven't lost mine.

'You know, I'm glad.' I say. She looks at me quizzically. 'That you still trust me enough to be yourself, I mean.' I clarify hastily. 'Not the tough, badass…..'

'Sweetheart, you coming or what?' Nine calls out from the van. Six scowls.

'Don't call me that again.' she says, hauling herself in. 'Ever. Unless you want your face crushed like a pancake.'

'And… She's back.' I mutter, grinning, as I follow her in and slam the door shut.

John

I enter first, and find myself squashed against the driver's seat, with Sarah pressed against me.

'Hey!' I complain. 'Give me some space.'

'Are you complaining?' Nine smirks, raising his eyebrow. 'With her falling all over you?'

Blood rushes to my cheeks. 'Shut up, Nine.' I mumble. Everyone laughs.

'You're not really complaining, are you?' Sarah whispers in my ear.

I don't reply, but instead I just turn around and kiss her. It begins to intensify when Nine yells. 'Cool it, lovebirds!'

I pull away and look around me. Everyone stares back at me. I didn't realize we'd already started moving. I blush, and beside me, I'm sure Sarah's doing the same.

'As I was saying,' Marina continues, 'we probably need to exchange stories while we have the chance.' She looks darkly at Six.

'We found something.' Six supplies.

'Something bad.' Nine adds. 'Trust me, you're going to want to hear it.'

'I'm guessing that if you tell us this now, then we'll be discussing it until we reach?' I ask. They nod. 'In that case, we should probably go first.'

I start to speak first, and I explain my vision to them, the dream I shared with Ella, how I found out that Five was a traitor and how I woke up with a scar on my leg. Then Sam picks up and launches into the story of getting the warning call from Adam, defending the penthouse, finally finding me awake, and Ella's capture.

I continue the story with how I met Adam, found BK, our rendezvous with Sam, Malcolm and Sarah, the battle at the airport, and stealing the helicopter. I pause after telling them how I fell, how the General yanked me out of the chopper. I suddenly feel uneasy. I never had the time to think about it, but he let me live, when he could have crushed my throat and killed me instantly. I doubt it was out of the kindness of his heart.

Fortunately, Sam takes this as his cue, and narrates how BK dived out after me, how they were left undefended, shot out of the sky, and how Six arrived just in time to save them.

Finally, I tell them about my battle with the General. When I get to the part about their arrival, Six frowns and leans forward.

'Wait, he just let you go?' she asks. 'The General let you live because we arrived and scared him off?'

Adam cranes his neck around to face me. 'He didn't.' he says simply. 'My father would die for another chance to kill a Loric. He wouldn't let you go just because we arrived.' He glances at her anxiously. 'Something's wrong.'

'Maybe he thought the scar would be a warning.' Marina suggests tentatively. 'It would be better to have all of us in one place. If we got a scar, we would know enough to be careful.'

'Too obvious.' Nine says. 'You saw the army back in the woods, it was tiny compared to what we've faced.' He glances at Six. 'Maybe they wanted to take out Six specifically.' he says. 'I mean, they did have devices that would detect someone invisible.'

'I doubt it.' I say. A cold chill is creeping through me, and I pull Sarah closer almost absently. She snuggles against me. 'He sounded almost like…' I recall the final moments of our battle. His words before he escaped, and the brushing sensation in my pocket… My blood runs cold. 'Like he needed me alive.'

I push Sarah off and rummage desperately through my pockets. For a moment I think I got lucky, that I was wrong, but then my finger brushes against something hard, and I yank it out, holding it up and squinting to see what it is. It's a small metallic sphere, with a blinking red light and a microphone. I have no doubt as to what it is.

'He bugged me.' I say in horror. 'He knows where they are. He knows where we're going.'

Everyone looks back at me in dismay and shock. I yell in frustration and squeeze it hard, expecting it to shatter, but to my surprise, it's not even dented.

'Let me see.' Marina says. I hand it to her.

'It's made of the same metal they used to chain my hands and feet when I was captured.' she says, examining it. 'It's unbreakable, and using your Legacies in its proximity causes intense pain.' She turns to Nine. 'Which is probably why you didn't sense it.'

He blinks as she rolls down the window on her side and chucks it out.

'We need a change of plan.' Adam says. 'They'd probably already have found the Chimaera already by now. We need to find a safe house and plan our next move.'

'No. We can't…' Six begins, but Marina cuts in.

'First things first.' she says, turning to Nine. 'Are there any more?'

'No.' he says, hesitating for a moment. He closes his eyes and concentrates. 'No.' he says again, this time more confidently.

'Are you sure?' Six asks. 'Not just on John, on any of us too?' He shakes his head. 'How are you so sure?' she asks. 'You can't even sense it.'

'Trust me, if you're looking for it, it's obvious.' Nine says. Out of all of us, he's by far the most calm. 'It's like searching for a patch of darkness in a brightly lit room- you can't see what's in it, but you can see it itself quite clearly.'

'Why are you taking this so lightly?' I snap. His relaxed attitude is getting on my nerves. He just doesn't know when to be serious. 'Dude, they just found out the location of some of our greatest allies, and heard all our plans. Not to mention Adam's entire adventure with One, and all our new Legacies.'

'Think about it for a moment, Johnny.' Nine replies peaceably. 'If you were him, what would you do now?'

I glare at him before his words register. Suddenly, it's obvious. 'He knows about your Legacy.' I say, and Nine nods appreciatively. 'So there's no point in taking on the Chimaera, because if he does, then we'll just avoid going there at all. Besides, he'll lose soldiers fighting against Dust. So he waits for us to get there, and then he attacks.' I pause. 'He's setting a trap.'

'And we'll be ready.' Nine completes, satisfied. He winks at me.

'Ready to make the plan?'

Five

I stand outside the interrogation room with Raylan, staring balefully at Devdan. I feel certain he knows I'm there, but all he does is stare peaceably back.

'He won't tell me anything.' I say finally. I'm a lot more relaxed about what I think now, because I know Devdan has hidden my thoughts from Raylan. I'm in no mood to be grateful, however. The Garde will never trust me, unless he gives me the information they need so I have something to barter with.

'I know.' Raylan replies. 'I didn't expect him to. He was quite adamant about who he reveals this information to. I was just exhausting all my options.'

'What will you do then, my Lord?' I ask. 'You can't use shapeshifting, disguises, tricks- he'll just sense them instantly through his telepathy. There's no way to get him to divulge it, willingly or not.'

'That's where you're wrong.' he replies smoothly. My curiosity is instantly aroused, but he says it in such a sinister way that I don't ask. I know he'll tell me anyway.

'He wants to speak to Number Eight?' Raylan finally continues. He pauses for the effect, and I shudder. I feel certain I know what he's about to say next, but I don't want to believe that he's powerful enough to do that.

No such luck. After only a moment, he says the very words I was dreading.

'Then we'll let him speak to Number Eight.'

**Okay, that's a long chapter. And a long A/N at the top. Although this was just a filler, so I'm sorry if it was awful, I've said before that I'm really bad at small talk and low action. I feel for you guys, waiting so long to read such a bad chapter. Sorry. On the bright side, when they get to Paradise, everything is going to go crazy, so… Yeah.  
>Thanks for reading! Please review!<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry! I promised an update by Wednesday and now it's one week late! I got stuck in this chapter, it was a bit dull to write, except the ending, because I was itching to skip to the scene in Paradise. I sort of accidently wrote a chapter which comes up later, and… Wow, I feel stupid.  
>Okay, I crossed 150 reviews! By a mile, actually, and a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love you guys. A special shout out to EpicLoric24 (What can I say? You just rock), thesecondgarde (the awesome writer who got me addicted to The Call), scone104 (who specializes in one-shots that would leave professional writers in tears– check out Every Hello Ends With a Goodbye), and Prajnaa (Wow, you have a lot of questions. Yes, I'm excited for the Divergent movie, yes, I have seen the I Am Number Four movie. The other answers you can read and find out :P), who are my regular and reliable reviewers. Thanks guys!<br>Okay, sorry for not making Sam more jealous, I know he's OOC, but it's not working with my storyline, and since Nix ended up being the most voted for, it's just going to have to do. Sorry!  
>Wow, that is a lot of reviews begging me to bring Eight back. Sorry, but I've got something….. special planned for Eight, and he's an important part of the story, but he's not coming back in any form whatsoever… Yet!<br>Okay, that's a huge A/N. Sorry. I'll stop now. Read, and enjoy!**

Six

'I obviously need to be there!' Nine storms. 'I'm the one with the damn Legacy! I can warn you if there's a trap!'

'They know you have the Legacy, you idiot!' John counters. 'They'll be prepared for it!'

Nine rolls his eyes. 'Yeah, because their scientists are gonna work at the speed of light to build something to avoid it!' he snaps sarcastically.

I feel Marina stir beside me. 'Guys….' she says, trying to stop the argument. 'I…..'

'No!' John yells back. 'I-'

'Just shut up!' I suddenly yell. There's suddenly complete silence in the van, and I can feel everyone's eyes burning into me. Thankfully, for now, however, they're willing to stay quiet.

My back spasms with the effort, and I stop myself from grimacing. I'll have enough time to deal with pain later.

'Good.' I say. 'Now, maybe we can work out something _peacefully_, after listening to Marina, who unlike you, has something _useful_ to say.'

Everyone looks at Marina, who squirms uncomfortably at the attention, but I can tell she's just weary, and wants to get this over with. 'Maybe we should figure it out step by step.' she suggests. 'List out our advantages and disadvantages so we have an idea of what to work with.'

John nods, and I can tell he approves. 'That's a good idea.' he concedes. He glances at Nine. 'What do you think?' he asks.

'Alright.' Nine says grudgingly, although I can sense he's still frustrated. 'An obvious advantage is my Legacy.' he says automatically. 'I can sense a trap a mile away.'

'And a disadvantage is that they know about it.' John says instantly. I stifle a groan. Not again.

Thankfully, Sam speaks up before they can start arguing again. 'They know exactly where the Chimaera are, in the sundial.' he says thoughtfully. 'That's a problem.'

'But we also know that they're going to be there.' I point out. 'An advantage. They've lost the element of surprise, and we've gained it instead.'

'I think our biggest advantage is the time period.' Marina says slowly. 'They don't have a lot of time to set a trap, and even better, they don't have enough time to inform Raylan. Five told me he was handling Ella, which means he's still in DC, according to the tablet.'

I let out a sigh of relief. 'Thank god.' I say. 'We aren't ready to face him yet.'

'I'm not sure we can take him right now.' Nine agrees.

'Um….' John says, leaning forward. 'I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about, but who the hell is Raylan?'

Nine and I exchange glances, and I look away quickly again before I'm distracted. I don't have time to moon over him right now.

'I forgot we still haven't told you our side of the story.' Marina says.

'You need to tell us everything.' Sarah agrees, and I glance quickly at her. This is the first time she's spoken in a while, and I'm almost surprised to hear her voice. Her eyes travel across the three of us, coming to rest on Marina. She looks sympathetic, and I know why. I know what she's about to say.

'Starting from Eight's death.' she adds.

Marina

I feel miserable.

One minute I feel completely fine, just a little weary and upset, and the next, something will trigger a memory, and I find myself remembering his laugh, his grin, his jokes, his eyes, and it feels like losing him all over again.

What makes it even worse is that I'm determined not to resist. My memories are all I have left of him, and I don't care how hard it is, or how much it hurts, but I will not give them up. He deserves that much.

_I'll see you soon. You won't have to leave._

His words keep haunting me, and I let them. And that is what really scares me.

'It's okay.' I say neutrally, as Six looks at me with concern. 'I was the only one who saw what happened. _Everything_ that happened.'

I don't mean it as a jibe, but I see Nine visibly wince, and I know he's blaming himself once again.

Before I feel bad, I quickly start the story.

I start with the journey, the alligators, Five's betrayal, Six getting knocked out, the battle….. It feels good to let it out. I try to gloss over Nine's role in riling Five up, though. Nothing good can come from blaming him for it.

My voice is tired, slow, not betraying the emotion I feel. We're walking into a potential trap, and I don't want to give my friends another thing to worry about.

I pause after I get to Eight's death, and for a moment, there's complete silence in the van. I bow my head and stare at the floor, replaying that scene in my mind again. It isn't hard. It's been haunting me almost as much as our most recent conversation.

I feel a hand grab hold of my own, and I look up in surprise, to see Six cradling it gently, her lips pursed together. I feel gratitude well up in me. She knows that there's nothing anyone could say to make this feel any better, so instead she's giving me comfort from her presence, reminding me that she's still there. And she's taking comfort from mine, because there is nothing anyone could say to make this any better for her either.

She knows me too well.

Finally, John breaks the silence. 'I didn't know.' he says, knitting his eyebrows together. 'I didn't know that he died…. that he _sacrificed_ himself like that.' He looks awkwardly at Nine, and I know they're no longer mad at each other. They can't be, not when they have lost so much already. He bows his head again. 'Five is going to pay.' he says, his voice harsher now, more determined. 'We'll make him suffer for this.'

I glance despairingly at Six, and her eyes reflect the worry that is there in mine. 'You might want to reserve judgement until you've heard everything.' she says, troubled.

John looks startled. 'What?' he asks, confused. 'Why? How-'

Nine cuts him off. 'Just listen, man.' he says, looking at me expectantly. I take a breath and start narrating again.

I talk for a long time, telling them everything, my capture, my vision of Eight, my conversation with Five, meeting up with Nine and Six, our escape….. Six and Nine chime in from time to time whenever I've forgotten something, but I don't leave out anything except the fact that Eight predicted my death, which earns me a jab in the ribs from Six, even though she doesn't say anything either. She knows too that they don't need another thing to worry about, and she respects my wishes.

There's a long silence after I finish talking, and finally, John exhales. 'That was…. intense.' he says.

Sam and Sarah murmur in agreement, and I release a breath that I didn't know I'd been holding.

'There's another problem we may have to face now.' Malcolm says from the driver's seat. 'Remember how in Crayton's letter, he wrote that the Chimaera that were there on Earth had been brought by him on the second ship?'

'How is that a problem?' I ask.

'It's a problem, because if they belong to Raylan,' Malcolm points out, 'wouldn't they fight by his side?'

Despair settles over us like a blanket. We exchange glances, and I know we're all thinking the same thing- if the Chimaera fight for the Mogs, then it's all over.

Surprisingly, it's Adam who breaks the silence. 'I don't think so.' he says, craning his neck to look at us from the front seat. 'When I found them in the Plum Island base, they were in horrible condition. A couple of them had gone completely insane, and the others were terrified of anything remotely Mogodorian. If you tell them Raylan was the one responsible….'

He doesn't need to finish the sentence. If the Chimaera know that the Mogodorians were responsible for their torture, they will not hesitate to fight against them.

John suddenly looks more hopeful. 'Wait, you said that they had been given some drug or something, right?' he asks Adam. 'To increase their rate of shape-shifting?'

'Yeah.' Adam says, mystified. 'What does that have to do with anything?'

John presses on. 'Would it have worn off by now?'

'I think so, yeah.' Adam says impatiently. 'Why?'

John turns to me now. 'You still have the Xitharis?'

'Of course.' I say, startled. I dig around in my pockets before withdrawing it and handing it to John. He takes it instantly, his attention off me now that he's got what he wants. I begin to feel annoyed. 'I know you're probably tired of hearing this,' I say, 'but what's that got to do with anything?'

John's eyes begin to gleam, and I can tell he's got an idea. I open my mouth to ask him, but Nine beats me to it.

'Hold on.' he says, waving his hand to stop me from speaking. He peers suspiciously at John, and his eyes widen. 'No. You are _not_ planning what I think you're planning.'

John breaks into a grin. 'What do you think?' he asks casually, gesturing at our impatient glares. 'Should we tell them?'

Nine's eyes take on a manic gleam, and I get the feeling that I will _not_ like this. 'Why not?' he says, grinning. He turns to face us. 'Ladies and gentleman,' he says, flourishing his hands. 'John and I,' he pauses for effect, his voice dramatic, 'have agreed on a plan.'

'That's what's really amazing.' Six mutters, and I stifle a laugh. Nine glares at her, but the grin soon reappears on his face.

'Oh, trust me.' he promises. 'You're gonna love it.'

_Xxx_

I crouch behind the brush near the edge of the garden, glancing cautiously at the house in front of me. It's very dark around us, with a bewildering crisscross of overlapping shadows, and silvery patches of moonlight, that break through the clouds. The street lights are all off, as are the lights in all the houses lining the streets, and it's eerily silent, even though it's not yet eleven, giving the entire place an abandoned feel. Even with my night vision, I have to squint to make out the sundial just a few metres in front of me.

Nine crouches next to me, his eyes closed as he assesses the surroundings for traps with his new Legacy.

'Sense anything?' I whisper softly to him.

He shakes his head. 'Nothing.' he says, but there's a dark look in his eyes. 'But that's what bothers me.'

I nod. It is surprising that so far, we haven't encountered anything yet, but it also makes sense that the Mogs would hide out of the range of Nine's internal radar.

I glance around, appraising my surroundings once again with my night vision. The silence has swallowed us again, like an oppressive blanket, and I shiver. 'Why is it so empty?' I ask Nine.

'Some event going on in town.' he replies. 'Probably organized by the Mogs. They wouldn't have wanted puny humans getting in their way.'

I nod. We don't have any more time left for distractions. 'Are the others in position?' I ask.

Nine closes his eyes and focuses briefly, his eyebrows creasing as he concentrates. 'Yeah.' he says finally. 'We're good to go.'

He twitches impatiently, and I can tell he just wants to be off, in the action. It's a wonder he's stayed still this long, anyway. I let out a sigh.

'Okay.' I say. 'Let's go.'

He crawls out of his bush immediately, groaning as he stretches his legs. With his height, he was probably cramped after hiding for so long. I follow a little more warily, trying my best to be unobtrusive.

We reach the sundial, and Nine raises his eyebrows as he examines it, assessing it one last time before going in. 'That's it?' he asks. 'They're going to do nothing? No trap, no bugs, no soldiers, nothing?'

He spoke too soon.

Something seizes me by the neck and lifts me up from the ground, crushing my windpipe in a vice-like grip. I thrash weakly, and struggle to breathe, gasping to get the air in through my throat.

My captor adjusts his grip, and I find myself face to face with someone who could only be the General.

'Let her down!' Nine yells, advancing threateningly towards him. The General doesn't say anything, he just looks amused and laughs.

'A single step closer and I'll crush her throat.' he warns. Nine stops dead in his tracks, glaring murderously at him. I begin to thrash around again, but it's getting hard to breathe. I feel my vision going black.

Through the haze, I squint and see vague figures approaching, marching towards me like an endless army. I try to use my night vision to get a better look, but bile rises up in my throat, and a sharp pain pierces through my head.

I recognize the symptoms instantly, and I suddenly realize how the soldiers got here without being detected by Nine's Awareness. Each and every one of them is wearing the same armour made of the metal that is used to block our Legacies. The kind of metal that blocks Nine's Legacy.

'Loric filth!' the General booms. 'I know you're listening to me, and I know you're there, somewhere, hiding in the dark instead of coming out to fight, like the cowards you are.' He glances at me with satisfaction. 'I'm going to give you five seconds to change that, or I snap this girl's neck into two!'

There's a silence, and then John turns visible along with Adam, and finally, Six. She glares at the General, her eyes filled with hatred, as the soldiers crowd around them, securing them in chains. 'Put her down, you coward!' she snarls, as the soldiers struggle to secure her in her place. 'Fight me!'

The General laughs. 'Oh, I will.' he says, grinning savagely. 'But only after driving you to the brink of despair.'

The implication of the statement is clear. He plans to kill all of us first.

'You!' the General calls out, waving at a soldier with his free hand. 'Take four others with you and get those filthy Chimaera out of there.'

The soldier salutes. 'Yes, sir.'

The General turns to face me again, and his face is smug. I try to hold his gaze, but my consciousness is slipping, and I can barely keep my eyes open. The General sees this, and he chuckles at my pathetic display.

'Here's what's going to happen, Number Seven.' he says, leaning towards me so I can smell his putrid breath. I stop myself from gagging, however, and look him resolutely in the eye.

The General grins viciously. 'My soldiers have just gone in there to find the Chimaera.' he says. 'They'll be back in five, ten minutes, tops.' He lowers his voice to a whisper. 'Enjoy those ten minutes, Number Seven.' he growls. 'They're going to be your last.'

**Okay, I hope you enjoyed that, because it took me **_**ages**_** to put it up. It was amazingly difficult to write this chapter, because every time I tried to come up with something, my mind would skip forward to the battle in Paradise, so…. Whew. Now my job's gotten a little easier.  
>Okay, anyway, thanks a lot for reading, guys! Please also check out my one-shot story, "What Wouldn't I Give?" I've put up three chapters on it so far, but I plan to update soon.<br>I'm not sure when I'll update next, but I'll definitely put up something by next Wednesday, because my exams get over on that day, so please just wait until then! This is the last time I make you wait for a long period for updates, after my exams get over, I'll begin updating frequently again.  
>Thank for reading! Please review!<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! I'm back! Earlier than I expected, actually. And I finally got the update ready!  
>Thanks so much for all the reviews! I read each and every one of them several times (I'm just one away from 175!), and your feedback means so much to me! (Oh, and sorry, Prajnaa, but if you want to find out about me, read my profile :P) Thanks so much!<br>Okay, anyway, the entire thing is in Marina's POV, because I felt that I was neglecting her for these last few chapters, except the previous one. A good bit of the next chapter is going to be in her POV too!  
>One last thing. It may get a little confusing, so remember- the part in italics on separate paragraphs is a flashback, while the normal is the current happenings. Italics equals flashback, if it's on a separate paragraph, and normal equals present events, okay?<br>Thanks for reading this ridiculously long author's note! Please read on, and enjoy!**

Marina

The General tightens his grip on my neck, and then suddenly tosses me aside, sending me tumbling into Nine, limp as a rag-doll. My vision goes slack, and just for a minute or two, I black out.

When I come to, my hands and feet are securely bound in manacles. I test them thoroughly, jiggling my wrists to snap them into two, but they don't give. I breathe out a curse. They're made of the same metal that has caused us so much trouble, and I know without a shred of doubt that using my Legacies now will give me a splitting headache.

My vision tunnels, and I take a deep breath and gather my energy. The entire plan hinges on me being able to use my Legacy. Without it, we're all dead.

'You okay?' a voice asks, and I turn to see Nine looking at me with a concerned expression on his face. I can't see the others, but I have no doubt that they're bound and tied up just as well as me.

At least _that's_ part of the plan.

_'Will you just tell us the plan?' Six demands._

_ John and Nine exchange glances. 'Animal telepathy.' they chorus._

_ Six blinks. 'You can use it to communicate with us?' she asks, confused._

_ John rolls his eyes. 'Of course, Six.' he says, each word dripping with sarcasm. She glares at him, and his mocking expression disappears instantly._

_ 'No.' he says, his voice serious now. 'Only to communicate with animals.'_

_ 'So it would only work on Nine.' Six reasons._

'Yeah, I'm fine.' I tell him, pressing my palms into the ground as a wave of nausea washes over me. Bits of gravel and small, flaking stones dig into my skin, but I manage not to throw up. The whole world stops swaying, and I exhale, thankful.

_We all burst out laughing, but it doesn't last long. I feel suddenly aware of the fact that this is exactly the kind of thing Eight would have said, and I know the others are conscious of it too._

_ Even laughing feels like a crime now, when he's not here with us, when he's not the reason we're laughing any more, when he never will be again._

'Do you know how long I was out?' I ask Nine, my eyes narrowing into slits.

Nine nods. He's understood the _real_ meaning of the question all right. Translating it into crazy plan speech- "how long do we have left?"

'Almost five minutes.' he says. His eyebrows crease, and I know what he wants to add. I know what he would say if we weren't swarmed by soldiers at this very instant. He needs me to be ready.

Any moment now.

_'When the distraction happens, you need to take out the General.' John says. 'You understand, Marina? We'll get just one chance, and that's when he's most distracted. Do whatever- knock him out, blast him with your ice-Legacy…'_

_ 'Knee him where it hurts.' Six supplies._

_ 'Heal him to the point where he can smell his own breath.' Nine suggests._

_ 'Just put him out of action long enough for us to regroup.' John finishes. 'They expect us to use force, stealth, strategy… They'll be ready for anything. They can premeditate it easily. What we need to do is what they least expect us to do.'_

_ 'Get me captured?' I ask dubiously._

_ 'Well, all of us, really.' John says. 'But you'll be the one handling the General, yeah.'_

_ 'Why do I have to be the damsel in distress?' I complain._

_ Six snorts. 'Can you see me pulling it off?'_

_ Fair enough. I know when I'm beaten._

Suddenly, without warning, I feel myself yanked by the neck again. Nine yelps in surprise as I'm dragged away from him, the General lifting me effortlessly to the sundial.

'Let her go!' Nine yells angrily, straining against his bonds. He wriggles, trying to manoeuvre through the chains, but the locks are too well secured.

The General ignores him completely. 'You hear that, Number Seven?' he asks, his voice a low growl that sets the hairs raising on my neck. I stop struggling momentarily and listen. There's a faint rhythmic thudding below me, moving closer to the sundial, and I know the soldiers will be emerging any moment now. The General leans closer and growls into my ear. 'Your time's almost up. You're going to die.'

I do my best to block him out. He's trying to intimidate me, trying to get me to give up, and I refuse to let him. Instead, I try to gather my energy. Using my Legacy with these chains is going to be no easy task, but I have no other choice.

Only seconds left now.

_ I let out a frustrated groan. 'Fine.' I relent. 'But what's going to be the distraction?'_

_ Nine and John grin at each other, and I know they're about to unveil the masterpiece of their plan. This is the real twister, the thing the Mogs are going to expect the least. I find myself leaning forward with anticipation._

_ 'The Chimaera.' they say simultaneously._

The General slams me to my knees, pushing my head down roughly to make it look like I'm kneeling before him. 'You ready, Number Seven?' he asks, a smug grin plastered on his face. 'This is how you're going to die. Grovelling in the dust, like the lowly animal you are.' He grabs hold of my hair and yanks me so I'm positioned right next to the sundial. 'When my soldiers come.' he promises. 'I want to see the despair on your face when you see that none of your allies are left to save your pathetic lives.'

The knowledge that his soldiers are going to return empty-handed gives me the courage to glare up at him and spit on his face.

_'BK sneaks into the sundial in the form of a fly, and gets the Chimaera out.' Nine says happily. 'The simplest retrieval in the world. Man, I can't wait to see the General's face when he sees his soldiers come back without the Chimaera.'_

The General's smirk is wiped off his face, and he raises his hand to backhand me across the face, but I roll aside and scramble to my feet. 'No.' I tell him, breathing heavily. 'I will not die like that. I will die fighting to the last breath, _General Sutekh_.' I spit out the name venomously. 'So if you want to kill me,' I step towards him and look him in the eye, letting him know that I am not afraid. 'Then I will die resisting you.'

To my surprise, the General's anger fades away. He lets out a roar of laughter. 'You got spunk, Number Seven.' he admits. Without warning, he seizes me by the neck and hoists me into the air, his iron grip squeezing the life out of me even harder than before. I claw at my neck, gasping for breath, but no air gets through. 'But that's where you're wrong.' he says gleefully. 'You will die trying.'

His grip relaxes a bit, letting me stay alive until his soldiers return, but I don't suck in the air greedily. I allow myself to go limp, withdraw into my mind for the final bit of strength I have left, strength I will need if I am to survive. I allow myself to forget the pain, the loss, the suffering that I have endured. I allow him to believe he's won, and through the haze that clouds my vision, I see him smile triumphantly.

_'When they're most complacent,' John says._

He's relaxed now, almost complacent.

_'When they least expect it.' John continues._

He thinks we have given up.

_'When they're most distracted.' Nine says, his voice becoming grim._

And that will be his downfall.

_John takes a breath. The atmosphere in the van has become painfully tense, and everyone is tingling with anticipation, hanging on to his every word, waiting for what he will say next._

_ 'Then the Chimaera attack.' he says._

A clinking at the bottom of the sundial. The soldiers have started climbing out. I exhale almost involuntarily.

_John turns to me. 'And then you attack.'_

Air trickles through my crushed windpipe, and suddenly the pain returns, shooting through my skull and down into my ribs. I let out a loud gasp, and the General's grip tightens instantly, cutting off my air again.

_'I don't like this.' Six says reluctantly. 'It's too dangerous, and we're assuming the General won't just kill us instantly, instead of waiting for the Chimaera to appear.' She blinks. 'Why would we go in there once we've got the Chimaera out anyway?'_

_ 'Firstly,' Adam begins. 'He won't kill you. That would be giving you the easy way out. If he believes there is no one left to save you, then he will want to torture you before he kills you.' He pauses, his eyes taking in each of us in turn. 'For fun.'_

_ 'That makes me feel so much better.' Six mutters._

_ 'Secondly,' John says, 'if we bypass it completely, then they won't wait to empty out everything that is hidden in that sundial. We need to get those papers and that skeleton out of there.' He looks at Six, and his gaze is intense. 'Please trust me on this one, Six.' he pleads. 'We need them to win.'_

'Leave her alone!' a voice yells out, and the General's grip slackens as he turns to face the speaker. Six is somehow on her feet, struggling against the soldiers restraining her, fighting even though she's bound in chains. She locks eyes with me, and her expression is filled with fear and anxiety.

Six is afraid.

She is afraid Eight's prophecy will come true right away. She is afraid I won't be able to act in time to save myself, even with the distraction. She is losing hope.

_Six turns to face me, and I catch the worry in her eyes, the troubled expression on her face. She knows she cannot protect me when the General captures us. She is afraid Eight's prophecy will come true, here, now, in Paradise._

_ I am terrified too. But I will not let that get in the way of this plan._

_ I expect Six to try to dissuade me, to shoot down the plan, to tell everyone about Eight's prediction, but instead she just grips my shoulders, her hands tightening reassuringly around them. 'John's Cepan, Henri, had this quote.' she says carefully, quietly so that only Nine and I can hear. Her voice is strained, and she sounds like she's reassuring herself as much as me. 'John told me about it once, when it was just us and Sam.' She pauses for breath, and her eyes bore into mine. 'There's always hope, Marina. New developments have yet to present themselves. Not all the information is in. Don't give up hope just yet. It's the last thing to go.' She pauses, takes a deep breath. 'When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.'_

There is always hope.

I don't say anything, just stare into Six's eyes. They are pleading, wild like an animal's. She cannot lose me so soon after Eight's death, but she won't. She needs to trust me. If she ruins the plan by resisting too much right now, then all of us will die.

I try to communicate to her with my eyes. "It will work." I tell her silently. "There is always hope."

Six doesn't say anything, but her body slackens, and she slumps down, allowing herself to be dragged down by the soldiers, out of my sight once again, and I know that I've convinced her for now.

If only I could convince myself.

There's a clinking sound right next to me, and the first soldier emerges from the sundial, coated with dust from head to toe. The General's attention is instantly back on me again, and his grip tightens, his fingers twitching, eager for the kill.

I'm almost choking now, but I manage to look away and lock eyes with Nine. His gaze is unruffled and composed, but underneath, I can sense his panic. He needs to wait for my signal. He needs to time it perfectly.

'Tell her you found them.' the General says, his voice quivering with excitement. His arm retracts, tenses, and I see his sword already drawn back, ready to strike, ready to kill. 'Tell her!' he yells impatiently.

Nine's eyes widen. He opens his mouth, but I cut him off with a glare. Not yet.

The soldier looks away from the General, not meeting his eye. 'Um, sir, actually…'

_When they're most complacent._

'What?' the General snaps impatiently, annoyed.

_When they least expect it._

'We searched the place with biometric scanners, as you commanded.' the soldier says nervously. The General shifts his feet impatiently, his attention completely off me now. Every Mogodorian in this place is now staring intently at the soldier. They don't expect us to retaliate. They think we're helpless, and they've allowed themselves to get complacent, to get distracted.

_When they are most distracted._

'They're not there.' the soldier finally says, looking up reluctantly to meet the General's eye.

Nine's eyes bore into mine, and almost imperceptibly, I nod my head. _Now_.

_Then the Chimaera attack._

There's a huge roar, and my head whips to the side to see a gigantic beast bearing down on the Mogodorians near where Six lay, leaving clouds of ash in the air. Another one pounces on the Mog guarding Nine, swallowing him in a single gulp. Another roar follows, then a second, then a third, and in moments, there are seven charging beasts, causing chaos in the ranks of the Mogs.

I'm dropped unceremoniously to the ground, and on instinct, I roll aside, barely avoiding the gigantic sword that cleaves the ground where I lay just moments ago, kicking up clouds of dust into the air. I scramble to my feet and face the General, his eyes wide with surprise and fury, and even a hint of fear.

He raises his sword again to strike me down, his eyes as wide as a madman's and something in me snaps. He's treated me like dirt, naturally assumed me the weakest, half-choked me to death, humiliated me, and now he's trying to kill me first, because he thinks I'll be the weakest target, the easiest to defeat in order for him to salvage some pride from this mission.

Looking up at him, it isn't hard to summon up the same anger that I felt when Eight was killed. It was his kind who invaded Lorien, who massacred thousands of innocents, who destroyed my home, who turned Five, who killed Adelina, Hector and Eight. He deserves to suffer. There is no torture, no painful death that can be enough to punish him for what he has done.

The General's blade barrels down on me, but I don't even have to think. I flick my hand, and it stops mid-air, held in place by my telekinesis. The General strains, trying to force it downwards, but I don't even have to try to hold it back.

My head pounds, and it feels as though someone is trying to force a hot poker through my skull, but it seems almost far away, like I'm observing rather than experiencing it. I'm blinded by my anger, which feels red-hot as it courses through my veins, contrasting with the rapidly dropping temperature around me.

I thrust my arm upwards, and an icicle erupts from the ground, mimicking my actions. The General staggers backwards, letting go of his sword, which clatters to the ground, his torso sliced open by the needle-like point of the icicle.

I thrust upwards again, and this time the icicle catches the General mid-step. He lets out a gasp and jerks away, but my creation is too quick, enveloping him and freezing him right where he stands.

I stop and catch my breath, staring half in amazement at my handiwork. The ice has completely surrounded the General, and he's trapped within it, unmoving, silent, his eyes- still frozen wide with shock- glassy and unseeing.

I've killed him.

**Okay, I hope you enjoyed that. I've been working on this chapter for a long time, and I had a lot of different ideas, so I hope I've managed them all well.  
>Did the General die? Maybe, maybe not. You'll find out soon enough!<br>Okay, next update **_**will**_** be on Wednesday, once my exams are over and done with. Not before, I doubt I'll have time, but most definitely not after.  
>Okay, thanks for reading! Now please review!<strong>


	19. Preview (and an apology from the author)

**Guys, I am so, so sorry!  
>I know it's been more than a month since I updated, and you can hardly call this an update, but I've been so, so busy! I've fallen sick twice, my college started a week after school got over (I have no clue why), and for some reason, I'm organizing an inter-school for my old school that <strong>_**someone**_** told me is the Alumni's job. All in all, I've hardly had time to **_**read**_** my favourite authors' stories, let alone write my own. Hopefully, I'll be back soon. As soon as I get used to the college schedule. If I recover, maybe even tomorrow.  
>In other news, I'm planning to divide my story into two, so there's going to be a sequel after this one. This story itself will be close to 25 chapters. I just thought that it would make it easier to read than one long story.<br>198 reviews! Oh my god! I'm so close to 200! I love every single person who reviewed, even though I'm a promise-breaking (is that a word?) idiot.  
>Since I took so long, I decided to give you guys a preview of a part of the first chapter of my sequel, just as a teaser, so….. Here it is! Enjoy!<strong>

John

'Of all the places we could have stopped, you brought us to a _cemetery_?' Nine asks incredulously.

Jake doesn't say anything, just smiles secretively, which is pretty much what he's been doing the entire time since we've met him. I'm beginning to wonder if it was a mistake trusting these guys.

Nine obviously doesn't share my doubts, since he's still busy ranting, his hands thrown up into the air in disgust. 'I mean, of all the boring places you could have chosen.' He scowls, waving his hands animatedly at the overcast sky. 'Even the _weather_ agrees with me.' he says irritably.

'Actually, that would be me.' Six says. She shudders. 'This place is really getting to me.'

'_Thank_ you.' Nine says. He blinks. 'Wait, what?'

We've reached a secluded part of the cemetery by now, and you can no longer see any mourners paying their respects to the dead. Groves of trees line the edge of the graveyard, and a gentle breeze ripples through the air, blowing drops from the drizzling rain against our faces. On either side of me, the rows of graves stretch out endlessly, demarcating where thousands of dead lie, in their final resting places.

Jake stops in front of a grave that looks no different from the rest and waves at us to halt. He stands still for a long moment, staring at the tombstone. 'Stay close.' he warns finally, kneeling down in front of the headstone, his palms pressing into the soft mud.

I shift my weight from one foot to another, sharing an awkward glance with Nine. I suddenly feeling bad for giving the guy such a hard time in the truck. I know better than most exactly how hard it is to lose someone close to you.

At the same time, we're all tired and cramped after the battle in Paradise and the long ride east. We need to find a place to crash and get some _rest_.

Looking at Jake kneeling on the ground, his head bent in supplication, I can't bring myself to tell him to leave just yet. Instead, I peer down to take a closer look at the headstone of the grave. It's mostly unadorned, with the name of the buried written in simple block letters, along with her birth and death day. Felicity Bertha Irwin.

'Was she your girlfriend?' I ask quietly.

Jake doesn't reply.

I start to get frustrated. I mean, like I said, I get wanting to pay your respects to someone you've lost, but we're currently dead on our feet. Sarah and Malcolm both already look half-asleep, and the others aren't much better. We can do this another time.

'Jake.' I begin. 'I don't know what you think you're doing, but we need to leave and crash somewhere so we can actually _sleep_, so…'

Realization hits me like a sledgehammer. Jake's grins despite being in the graveyard, the silence and the seclusion, even the _name_ on the headstone- the signs have all been there, right in front of our eyes. It's so obvious, it's almost painful, and I want to slap myself for missing it.

The name on the gravestone. Telling me in block letters, exactly where I am.

Felicity Bertha Irwin.

_FBI_.

'Guys.' I start to say, my voice an octave higher than usual. 'We need to-'

Then the ground opens up beneath our feet, and we plummet into the chute below.

**So who is Jake? Why are they in a cemetery? What the hell is going on? You'll find out if you keep reading, right through my sequel- "Countdown".**


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